Her Savior
by MysticTraveller
Summary: A simple mission gone wrong. She surrendered to the fate meant for her. A savior came and denied the Fate her victim.Naru/Kure fic! Rating could go up!
1. Chapter 1

A Naruto/Kurenai fic! I'm not too sure how long it's going to be. It could be anywhere from 5 chapters and onwards… I hope you like it!

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"We need to retreat!" yelled out a ninja, ANBU judging from his attire and animal mask on his face. His clothes were thorn in numerous places, most likely from a battle with another Ninja. A small line of blood was flowing down his left arm, probably a cut from a Kunai or a sword of some kind. His breathing was ragged, his posture indicating he was exhausted. He was yelling at the Ninja in front of him.

The said Ninja was a very exquisite being. She was one of the most beautiful women a man could ever hope to meet. She had long, beautiful, black hair that really made her stand out from the rest. And the eyes... Oh, the eyes! The eyes are a story of their own. Those beautiful twin orbs of perfection. Twin pairs of the strangest and most beautiful eyes the world has ever seen. Right now they were staring defiantly at the group of men glaring at her with hatred and lust in some.

It was supposed to be a routine mission. That's why she took it. It was supposed to be risk-free and a simple retrieve the package mission. Oh, how cruel the fate can be.

She along with her escort, the ANBU standing next to her, went to the Grass Country to retrieve a report from a spy in that area. It sounds simple, right? Well, things got ugly. The said spy was actually a double spy.

A spy for a group of Ninjas that hate Konoha with a passion. The spy's mission was to lure Konoha Ninjas to them so that they could torture them, kill them and some 'other things'. Once the spy's mission is done, he moves to another country, changes his identity and repeats the process. A scumbag of a man, that's for sure.

This time, Kurenai and the ANBU are the victims of this conspiracy. At first they chose to run away from this particular group of Ninjas. They knew they were outmatched and outnumbered, so they chose to run. It was a logical choice and a wise one. It went well for the first couple of minutes. The Anti-Konoha Ninjas were firing Jutsus at the Konoha Shinobis, but none hit, until a mistake from Kurenai's part changed the whole scenario.

Kurenai lost her momentum for a second and paid the price for it. A stray water Jutsu hit her and made her stumble on the ground. And that's how they end up in the situation they are in now.

Kurenai was a panting a bit. The run was more taxing on her than she realized. Damn her sloppiness. This wouldn't have happened if she continued to train regularly. She allowed herself to slip in her training and now she is hitting herself over the head for it.

After the War of all Wars, aka. The Fourth Shinobi War, the Nations stabilized and a true peace established itself among the Nations. But despite this peace, there will always be someone out there that holds a grudge towards someone. It just shows how cursed this Shinobi World really is.

"Just surrender already! You can't win this. Don't make this harder than it already is. If you surrender now, we'll make your death swift and painless. Well, after we have our 'fun' with you, that is!" grinned evilly and full of unrestrained lust the leader of the group of Ninjas.

Kurenai and the ANBU glared on, now with more determination than before. Kurenai couldn't die now. She had someone back home that depended on her. She couldn't and she won't die.

The Leader scowled, "So be it!" yelled out in anger the Leader. With a sign, most of the Ninjas prepared their Jutsus. They wanted to end this as quickly as possible. If they are lucky, the woman will survive and they could have their 'fun' with her.

With a unanimous cry, they unleashed their Jutsus at the desperate Ninjas.

Kurenai knew she won't escape from their attacks. It was futile to even resist. She closed her eyes and waited for the end to come. A single thought went through her mind, her baby boy Asuma. Her pride and joy, her sunshine, her reason for living, her reason for smiling and laughing. He was her life.

A lone tear escaped her fortress, 'I'm sorry Asuma. I love you!' declared Kurenai in her mind. This was it for her.

"**Doton: Dory****ū****heki!"**yelled out a lone voice, the voice of her savior. It was her partner, an ANBU she knows nothing about, not even his name.

The ANBU stood in front of her and the now erect wall of Earth. The Wall was massive and easily towered over the trees. The ANBU was breathing heavily and soon feel on his kness, exhaustion apparent on his face and body. The Jutsu took every single drop of power he had left and it was barely enough to hold the combined power of the enemy's attack.

A second cry could be heard from behind the protective Wall. A second later the Wall crumbled under the force of the enemy's attack. Debris flew everywhere. The duo from Konoha braced themselves and tried to remain unharmed from the assault from the rocks. Easier said than done. Kurenai managed to evade all the projectiles but the ANBU wasn't so lucky.

Exhaustion took its toll on the ANBU and was hit by a particular large section of rock and flung backwards into the trees and was knocked out.

Kurenai was now alone and was facing against men that would do unspeakable horrors to her body and mind. She would rather die than let that happen to her.

She picked herself up and took her stance. She'll take that as many of them as possible before she lets death take her.

The leader grinned in victory, "Well, well. It seems our luck played out today. Your partner is out cold and you are all alone. Boys, what say you? Don't we have a fine specimen of the female gender here before our eyes?"

The said boys yelled out in agreement.

"What say you? Shall we show her a good time?" grinned lustfully the bastard.

Another cry was heard in the clearing.

Kurenai was glaring at them with the hatred from the Gods. These bastards aren't worthy to be called men. They are freaks, cowards and nothing more.

They all started to take a step forwards which in turn made Kurenai take a step backwards. The process repeated itself a couple of times. And then the Ninjas all jumped at once at Kurenai.

Kurenai's mind was working in overdrive, trying to think of a possible solution. Running was out of the question, there were too many of them and she was tired. Genjutsu wouldn't work, again too many of them. Ninjutsu also unavailable. Besides, Ninjutsu wasn't her strong forte.

Her mind was blank. She had nothing. All the training she did in her life and she comes out empty. Well, she won't go down without a fight. She readied herself for the final battle of her life.

The attacking Ninjas leapt at Kurenai, who was waiting for them with vigor in her eyes. The ninjas were already grinning victoriously. The mission paid off for them. They will have such a wonderful time with this woman, either dead or alive.

In a second everything changed. Something was different with the clearing they were in. The wind was acting funny, like someone or something was controlling it.

The Ninjas didn't have time to react. They were suddenly blown away by a strong hurricane of wind that came out of nowhere. Some of the Ninjas managed to regain their balance and landed elegantly while others skidded a couple of times off the ground, pain revealing itself in their bodies.

The Leader looked around frantically for the intruder, for the bastard that will soon be dead.

"Reveal yourself!" yelled out in anger and irritation Leader.

Nothing. No answer was given. But then it came. It seemed like the wind was talking to them.

And it said, "As you wish."

The Ninjas and Kurenai waited for the intruder to reveal himself. Kurenai was overjoyed for the arrival of this stranger. She was thinking of just picking up her partner and make a run for it. But she knew better. She wouldn't make it half a mile before they caught up. Right now, she rests her hopes and her life on this new arrival.

The eyes of every Shinobi were focused of any sudden movements and soon they got what they wanted.

Kurenai's eyes widened. He was behind her. She turned around but remained on guard for the Shinobis in front of her.

The figure emerged from the forest, walking slowly and with power in his steps. The wind was surrounding the figure, like it was waiting for its master to take control of it.

The figure was wearing a white robe with a hood over his face, making his identity unknown. What little of his face could be seen, was hidden by a white mask with red and orange streaks on it.

The figure walked casually towards Kurenai who remained cautious of this new figure. The figure stopped walking when he was beside Kurenai. He was looking towards the enemies in front of him, ignoring Kurenai for the time being.

Kurenai took that as a sign of trust and temporary alliance. She faced the ninjas again.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" yelled out the Leader, a scowl on his face.

The figure answered, power emanating from him, earning some sweat from his enemy, "Just a man taking a walk through the forest."

This earned another hateful scowl from the man, "Don't play games with me! This doesn't concern you! Leave this place!"

"Nah, I like it here. It's peaceful. I think I'll stay here for a while. " answered the figure nonchalantly.

The Leader was fuming with anger. Who does this man think he is! He will die for his insolence!

Kurenai was thinking that this man is either the biggest idiot she has ever seen or the bravest. Probably a little bit of both.

"Look! We only want the woman! Just step aside and let us do our thing!" yelled out once again the Leader.

The figure once again answered calmly and confidently, " Now why would I want to do that? You have the lady outnumbered. I don't think that's fair. What do you think?"

"You are testing my patience! Move aside or die!" threatened the Ninja.

"I'll take Option Number Three." Answered the white figure.

"And what's that?" asked the Leader, reaching for his Kunai.

"Your death!" declared the figure who took his battle stance. Two clones formed beside him, shocking the occupants of the clearing. You have to have skill to perform a clone without seals.

The original figure started a string of hand seals and so did his two clones.

The original and the clones finished the seals at the same time and yelled out together, **"****Katon Renkeijutsu: Karura!"**

The leader's eyes widened, recognizing the name of the Jutsu. When the other Ninjas heard the word Katon, they all started preparing any Water Jutsu they knew. They knew Fire was weak against Water. They made one mistake. This was no ordinary Fire!

The figure's technique formed into a long string of fire, forming into a magnificent Dragon. The Ninjas never stood a chance. Their Water Jutsus were obliterated upon the moment of impact and the Ninjas evaporated along with their Jutsus.

A large explosion occurred upon the impact of the Dragon made of Fire against the earth upon which now deceased Ninjas stood.

When the dust settled, there was a surprise among the rubble. The Leader of the Ninjas still stood, still among the living, although he had seen better days.

The Leader was breathing heavily, his protective dome made of earth all but shattered. His right side of his face was badly burned and so was his right arm. The dome absorbed most of the damage but even that wasn't enough.

The white figure started walking towards his injured enemy, making him sweat and have a fearful expression on his face.

"WHO ARE YOU?" yelled out in anger and desperation the Leader.

The white figure stopped about 50 meters away from his target.

"Who are you?" yelled out again Leader who was on his knees now, the wounds taking its toll.

The white figure raised his arm to his face and touched his mask. He slowly started to remove it. The Leader was focused on the face of the man that ruined everything for him. Months of planning and this guy comes in and destroys everything in seconds.

The mask slowly came off and the face became known to the enemy. Kurenai wished to know who the man was as well but she was behind him and couldn't see his face. But judging from the look in the man's eyes it must be someone famous and powerful.

The Leader was wide eyed in disbelief, surprise and fear. He knew this man, who wouldn't? Everyone in the world knows who this man was and what he did. This is a man that shouldn't be trifled with. A man that other Ninjas give wide berth of space because they don't want to anger him or insult him. This is a Shinobi even the Kages respect and acknowledge. This is U…

"Satisfied?" asked the figure, breaking away the leader's thoughts. He put the mask back on his face, the request completed.

"Why are 'you' here? Why? Why? Why? This was supposed to be easy!" despaired the Leader, knowing that he is doomed to fail. These are his last moments in the world of the living.

The figure started walking again, slowly, like a man on a mission which he was.

Fear etched itself on the man's face and eyes, "Get away from me!"

"There is no escape for you. Your crimes are unacceptable. I cannot allow you to remain living. You cause too much suffering. I'm sorry." Said the figure still walking.

"No, no, no! I won't die here! You will die!" yelled out in one final attempt to get out of this alive. He started making handseals for his most powerful Jutsu, **"Katon: D…"**. He never got to finish the name of his Jutsu. The man in the white robe was suddenly in front of him, a kunai in his hand which was now imbedded in the man's heart.

Blood pooled out of the man's mouth, his eyes hurt and losing life rapidly. His body was trembling, going into shock.

He whispered, "This…was…supposed…to…be…easy…"

He collapsed to the ground, his breathing stopped. The man was dead. The world is free from another man causing suffering to people.

The white man looked down at his now deceased opponent, "You dug your own grave. May you find peace in the afterlife."

He turned around and walked back towards the stunned Kurenai and the still unconscious ANBU. Kurenai was speechless which doesn't happen often. His movements were so fast, way faster than anything she had seen so far. Not even Kakashi or Gai could move so fast. Not to mention his prowess in the Ninjutsu department. He unleashed a high level Jutsu which obliterated most of the opponents and he wasn't even winded. What kind of man is he?

"Konoha-san, any injuries?" asked politely the white figure.

Kurenai woke up from her stupor, "Oh, uhm, no." said Kurenai but the truth was she was exhausted. All the running and evading enemy's jutsus, it took its toll on her stamina. She is on the verge of chakra exhaustion. And her partner is in even worse shape than she is. He is also suffering from chakra exhaustion which could take a week or more to recover from. Not to mention any other injuries he sustained from protecting her.

"So you are shaking because?" asked the figure, dragging out the final word.

Kurenai looked down and saw that she was trembling, her knees were shaking slightly and she could feel her strength fading.

"Here, catch this." Said the figure, throwing her a small Soldier Pill, to help her with her exhaustion.

Kurenai caught the pill and eyed it carefully, looking for any anomalies.

The figure noticed that and chuckled a bit, "Don't worry, it's safe. Besides if I wanted to kill you, don't you think I would have done it already?"

He was right, she was no match for him, not in this exhausted state or any state for that matter. This man was in a class of his own.

She swallowed the Pill and she could feel some of her strength returning, not much but enough to keep her going for a while.

The figure nodded and started walking towards the ANBU somewhere in the tree line, "You are far from home, Konoha-san. Far from the safety of the confines of your village. It's not wise to travel in your condition and with the sun setting all the more. If you choose so, you can follow me to my camp." He let the statement hang in the air while he went to check on the ANBU.

He wasn't a master in the Medical Field but he knew a thing or two. The ANBU probably had a concussion and some broken ribs and some other external wounds. It will take a while before he will be able to move normally.

Kurenai meanwhile pondered whether or not to take his offer. The man had a point. She was exhausted and hurt. Her partner was down for the count and she wouldn't make it with him slowing her hack and she isn't about to abandon him here. Right now, she would have to take his offer and move on from there.

"I accept." Said Kurenai. The figure didn't make any signs of hearing her answer. He just made a clone and made him pick up the ANBU and motioned to Kurenai to follow him. And she did.

They were jumping across the forest for a while now. Kurenai was sweating profoundly, her exhaustion from before reappearing. Her eye sight was becoming blurry and she could feel the unconsciousness knocking on her door.

A moment later she missed her step and was sent tumbling down to her death. Midflight, she was already unconscious. The last thing she saw was the ground upon which she will impact a moment later. And then everything went black.

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Kurenai groaned. The world around her was black. All of her body was in pain. Her head was on fire.

"Am I dead?" asked Kurenai no one.

There was a slight chuckle to Kurenai's left, "No but you probably feel like you are."

Kurenai moved her head to the left and saw the figure from before, indicating that she was indeed still alive. She also noticed something cold and wet on her forehead. It was a cloth of some sort.

The figure noticed she was eyeing the cloth he put on her, "You have a high fever. That's the only thing I can do to lower it to a safe level." Answered the figure.

Kurenai gave him a small nod of appreciation. She turned her gaze back towards the sky which wasn't there. She was in some sort of house or something like that. She stored that thought for later to ask.

She contemplated her next decision and what went wrong in the mission. If it weren't for this mysterious man she, along with her partner, would have been dead. And she would have been a toy for them to use.

She shuddered a bit thinking what could have happened to her. She didn't have many fears but rape was one of them. It was the most vile and despicable thing in the world.

"Your partner is out for the count for at least a week if not more. He has severe chakra exhaustion and some broken ribs and a concussion. It's up to him how long it takes to recover."

Kurenai once again nodded at the man. Here he was, a complete stranger, helping her and her comrade. Who does that?

She asked, "Where are we?"

The figure answered, "Somewhere in Grass Country. You are in my house. Don't worry, this place is as safe as it gets."

Kurenai nodded once again, her body was all stiff and any movement sent pain through her body.

"Who are you?" asked Kurenai, the million dollar question.

The figure chuckled again, "Just a traveler."

"Bullshit." Snapped Kurenai which was very unlike her. She was usually a very calm and logical person but it seems the events from before made her snap a bit. Who wouldn't? She was going to be killed and raped. Believe me, you would be angry and jumpy too.

The figure raised his eyebrow, not that Kurenai could see it. The man was obviously surprised by her outburst and waited for her to continue. And she did.

"That man recognized you which means you must be someone well known even to a scumbag like him. No traveler is as strong as you. If there was, I would have heard of him."

The man chuckled at her answer, "Yes, I am famous as you say. But I'm still just a traveler. I travel from country to country helping people in need and people like me."

Kurenai raised her eyebrow, "What do you mean 'like me'?"

"I help people that live the same life that I did." Smiled the figure from behind his mask.

"And what kind of life is that, if I may ask?" said Kurenai now a bit calmer.

"Orphans, outcasts, people like that." Said the figure sadly.

"Why would you do that?" asked Kurenai, confused by his helping nature.

"Because I can. I have the power to help them, so why not." Answered the figure calmly.

Kurenai nodded and stayed silent for a few moments. It was the man who posed a question this time, "Do you have anyone waiting for you back home?"

Kurenai looked towards the man, thinking why would he ask her that, "Why?"

"I figured you would like them to know you are alive and safe."

Kurenai bit her lip. She did want to tell her baby boy and her friends that she was fine but this man could be a spy himself. The man answered the question she was asking herself, "Look, it was just an offer. If you don't want to tell me then so be it." Said the figure.

A moment of silence ensued but Kurenai answered him ,"My son…"

The figure nodded at her," See that wasn't so hard, was it?" chuckled the figure, earning a scowl from Kurenai.

"Where can I find your son and what's his name?" asked the figure again.

Kurenai answered, "His name is Asuma Jr. Right now, he is staying with his Aunt."

The man nodded, "Alright, since I don't know where this Aunt lives, I'll just send this letter to your Hokage and she can give it to your son."

"Thank you." Said Kurenai humbly and appreciatively.

"Mah,mah, no thanks necessary." Said the figure who walked into the dark corner. A poof smoke erupted in the corner and the man said, "Take this to the Hokage but be discreet about it. Don't let anyone see you, not even the Hokage. Got it?"

Kurenai didn't hear any response but whatever it was it was gone in another poof of smoke.

The figure walked back towards his chair and sat on it.

"What was that?" asked a still lying down Kurenai.

The man chuckled at her nosiness,"Now, now, I can't tell you every secret of mine, now can I?"

Kurenai pouted adorably, like a baby who was denied a candy or something like that. The figure chuckled at that and thought it was very cute.

Kurenai blushed when she realized what she did but was thankful it was dark and the figure couldn't see her blush.

She asked afterwards, "Where are you from?

"You know, from here and there." Sighed the figure.

"You know, you are being very elusive in answering my questions. Why?" asked Kurenai suspiciously.

"What kind of Ninja would I be if I told you everything there is to know about me, hm?" smiled the man.

"A trusting one. I told you I have a son so at least you can answer me this one question." Said Kurenai kindly.

The man was contemplating whether or not to tell her his origins. In the end he decided it wouldn't hurt to tell her a bit about himself, "Fire Country."

Kurenai nodded at his answer. It wasn't much but it will have to do for now.

"How did you find us?" asked Kurenai.

"Well, it wasn't hard to see and hear the explosions caused by those amateurs." Chuckled lightly the mystery man.

"But why did you save us? We don't know each other. You don't owe us anything so why?" asked Kurenai still baffled why she was saved from her fate.

The man had a hardened look on his face behind his mask, his tone serious and powerful, "Those men were the worst. I'm sure you know what they would do to you." This made Kurenai wince a bit.

He continued, "There are very few things I hate in this world but rapists and rape is one of them. I couldn't live with myself if I let them have their way with you."

Kurenai was touched by his proclamation. Not many people would do that. Most of the men out there would probably join those scumbags and do the same thing to her.

"Thank you." Said Kurenai meekly, shyly. A tear wanted to escape from her but she reeled it back in. Just the thought of being raped shattered all of her defenses.

"No one deserves such fate. Now rest, we'll talk more in the morning." Said the man who also went to bed which was next to the bed in which was the ANBU was sleeping.

Kurenai nodded and closed her eyes and let her dreams take her away.

Tadaaa! I hope you like the first chapter. If you have any objections or if I did something wrong, please let me know.

See ya!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2! Wow, a positive reception of this story, numerous faves and alerts plus a C2 and a couple of reviews. Thanks for all the positive reviews and I'm glad you like it. Here's the next chapter…

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine….

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The sun shined through the only window in which our Mistress is currently sleeping. The first rays of light made our Mistress start to wake up from her well deserved slumber.

Kurenai groaned and cursed whoever and whatever woke her up from her much needed rest. She opened her eyes slightly in order to first get used to the light invading her space. She rubbed her eyes a bit, trying to clear the morning fogginess and dizziness. She yawned and sat up on her bed. She stretched the upper part of her body.

She looked at her surroundings. Last night, she couldn't see the house properly because it was so dark. The house was a simple one. It had one window, one proper bed, the one she is sleeping in and another that looked like it was hastily made, the bed that her partner ANBU was recovering in. There was another makeshift bed on the floor next to the bed of the ANBU.

The house was also equipped with a functional Kitchen, TV and a sofa in the far end of the room. There was a door in the other end of the room that probably led to the bathroom. The house wasn't anything special but it had that homey feeling. There were some pictures hanging on the walls but nothing notable.

She noticed that the figure wasn't in the house. She saw a glass of water and some pills on her nightstand beside her bed. She smiled at the mystery man's concern. She took a Pill and swallowed it alongside the glass of water.

"Ahhh…" was Kurenai's content voice after that refreshing drink. Her mouth was dry. She hadn't had a decent drink in over 24 hours or a meal for that matter. But that can wait a little longer.

Kurenai stood up from her bed. Her feet touched the cold ground which made her wince a bit. She stretched her entire body and yawned at the same time, the sleepiness still inside of her. She could feel all of her joints pop back into the proper place.

She noticed that her body was still stiff and tired. Her muscles were heavy, obviously from exhaustion. Her chakra was down to a minimum, the consequence of chakra exhaustion. It will take a while before she is back into working condition. It will take even more time for her partner to wake up. For the time being, she is grounded to this house.

Her clothes from the previous day were still on her, for which she was grateful. It means the man respected her privacy and didn't do anything 'unusual'.

She explored the house belonging to her savior. It was modest in her opinion. It was similar to her own but hers was bigger and more girly. She wondered where her savior went to. He couldn't have gone far. He probably wouldn't want to leave 2 strangers alone in his house for too long.

She went towards the window and looked outside. She saw that the house was in some sort of clearing. She could see trees in the distance but not much else. She decided to go outside for some fresh air and see if the unknown man was anywhere close by.

She opened the door leading outside. She was assaulted by the bright morning sun and the scent of the fresh morning. She could hear the wildlife staring to stir in the forest. She heard the birds chirping their morning music. She loved mornings. She loved to just sit on her porch, sip coffee and watch the Sunrise.

She looked around the clearing upon which the house stood. The clearing wasn't as big as she thought before. The edge of the forest was about 200 meters away from the house. The house was quite secluded and hidden from civilization. The man that saved her lived in solitude it seems.

She looked to the left where she heard the sound of water flowing. She was a bit surprised when she saw a waterfall cascading down a small cliff. She looked behind the house and saw that the house was positioned under the cliff which was quite big.

She turned back towards the small lake and saw the savior from the previous day. He was sitting cross-legged under the raging waterfall, apparently in deep meditation. It took patience and a lot of willpower to not be bothered by the gallons of water hitting your body with tremendous force. This man was something else in Kurenai's opinion.

She started walking towards the edge of the lake. She sat on the ground when she reached the body of water. She dipped her feet into the cool water and sighed contently. It felt good, she could feel her muscles in her feet relaxing.

She turned her gaze back towards the man under the waterfall. She studied him in more detail. He was no longer wearing the robe from yesterday but the mask was still on. In fact the only thing on him right now was his pants. He was shirtless which showed his well defined and toned body. A body honed from years of fighting and training.

She blushed slightly when she saw all of his rigid muscles. In her modest opinion, this was one of the best bodies she had ever had the privilege of seeing and she saw a lot of them. He also had a nasty scar right over his heart area.

She winced a bit when she saw it. Whatever made that particular scar, she knew it must have hurt.

She studied all of his other features now that they weren't hidden by the cloak. She noticed that he had blonde, sunny hair. They were beautiful in Kurenai's eyes. She doesn't know many people with blonde hair which makes it a commodity in Kurenai's eyes. In fact she could count the people she knows with blonde hair with one hand. There was Ino, one of her best friends and someone she considers part of her family. There was the Hokage, Senju Tsunade, Ino's father and mother and of course 'he'.

Memories of that particular man started emerging in Kurenai's mind. He was a man like any other. The world knows him as Uzumaki Naruto but the people that were close to him knew him as a kind-hearted man who would go out of his way to ease someone else's suffering. The world also acknowledges him as a war hero which he indeed was. He fought bravely in the Fourth Shinobi War and was decisive in the Alliance's victory over Uchiha Madara and the Bijuu. He defeated the Masked Man, Tobi which brought victory for the Joint Shinobi Alliance. The war was won and the nations celebrated.

But for Naruto there was still a loose end to correct. His brother in all but blood, Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto set out to confront his brother and best friend. And that was the last time the world heard of both Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.

She smiled sadly for the unique man from Konoha. Konoha wasn't the same without him. It was missing that spark, that energy, it missed Naruto. Naruto is Konoha.

If only she knew the man she was remembering right now is 10 feet away from her.

"A penny for your thoughts?" chuckled slightly her Savior who was now walking towards her.

Kurenai returned from the world of her thoughts and faced the man that was walking towards her. She could now admire him in all his glory. He easily towered of her and his muscles now really came into display.

She held back her blush which desperately wanted to come out. Ever since the death of her husband, her first love, Sarutobi Asuma, she ignored any romantic attempts from any man. She convinced herself that she didn't need another man in her life. Part of the reason was because she didn't want to insult the memory of her late lover, Asuma. And a part of her thought no one could replace him. But the fact was she was lonely. Sure she had her friends and her sunshine, her son, Asuma Jr. but she still missed that feeling in her stomach. The same feeling that would emerge whenever Asuma looked at her with love in his eyes. She missed that, very much.

She finally answered, "Oh, sorry. I spaced out a bit. Just thinking about some stuff. Are you done meditating?"

The man nodded and went to pick up his clothes which he left near the bank of the lake. He put them on the next second and deprived Kurenai her wonderful view.

He took a seat next to her with some distance between them, not wanting to invade her personal space and make her uncomfortable.

"Wasn't really into it today." Responded the masked man.

"A bit restless?" asked Kurenai in return.

He nodded briefly but inside, his mind was a rollercoaster. The reason should be clear to all of you. This mysterious man is indeed Naruto Uzumaki who hasn't been seen for the last 2 or 3 years. Imagine his surprise when he stumbled upon Konoha ninjas in need of some help. Why did it have to be Konoha Shinobi and above else, someone he knows! It's like fate is mocking him. He's been running away from Konoha since the war and in one day everything fell apart for him. And now there is a high chance of his identity being discovered. That would spell trouble!

He tried to clear his mind from his raging thouts, "Your Hokage was notified of your situation and status. Your family should know by now that you are okay. Obviously I didn't tell them where you are but I told them that you will return once your injuries heal."

Kurenai nodded gratefully to the man, "Thank you."

"No problem." Answered back Naruto in disguise. A silence ensued afterwards between the two warriors.

Kurenai spoke after a few minutes of nothing but silence, "This place is beautiful. You have a wonderful home."

The man smiled a bit behind her mask, "Why, thank you. I found this place by chance a few months ago. I made it into my home here in Grass Country. It's peaceful and away from prying eyes."

"So this means this isn't your only home?" asked Kurenai, her curiosity tingling inside of her.

"This is a home away from home. I have many houses like this one throughout the nations. As I said, I'm a traveler. I travel the world and help the people that are less fortunate." Responded Naruto, memories of Konoha coming back to him. All the bad times and all the good times.

"What about your real home, your first home? Don't you ever go back there?" asked Kurenai who couldn't imagine such a life. She couldn't live a life without her friends and family and instead live a life constantly on the road.

"My home is currently inaccessible for me." Answered the mystery man vaguely and mysteriously. It wouldn't do him good if he started talking about his life back in Konoha and risk exposing himself.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at his answer, "What do you mean?"

The man sighed at her persistence, "If you don't mind, I would rather not talk about it."

Kurenai nodded at his request. It seems his home is a delicate subject for him.

Another silence appeared. It was Kurenai again who interrupted it, "I couldn't help but notice the scar on your chest. Can I ask you what caused it? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He turned towards her and Kurenai thought like she was being analyzed or judged by this man. Naruto moved his hand over the area where the scar is and sighed sadly, "Just a bad memory."

Kurenai could hear and feel the sorrow emanating from his voice. It seems this man has gone through a lot in his life. A lot of pain and sadness seems to be present in his life.

"How are you feeling?" asked the man in concern and also hoping she would drop the subject.

"Better than yesterday." Mused Kurenai.

"It will take a while before you recover completely. You strained your muscles and your chakra coils too much. It will take at least a week before you are fully functional." Explained Naruto professionally.

"I figured as much. What about my partner?" asked Kurenai. She owes her life to both this mysterious man and her ANBU comrade.

"Like you, he also has chakra exhaustion but on a higher level. He also has some internal wounds which will take a while to heal. I say about a week and a half until he's up and running." Responded the man sitting next to her.

"Thanks for taking care of us. We owe you our lives." Thanked honestly Kurenai.

He waved her off ,"You don't have to thank me. I'm sure you would have done the same thing if you were in my position."

Kurenai nodded at him. She honestly didn't know if she would have done the same. A part of her told her that she would but then there was the other part that screamed no. Why No? Because of the risks involved. She is a ninja and trust comes second in their line of work. What if the man she saves turns on her and kills her or worse. She has a son to think of now. If she dies, her son becomes an orphan and she doesn't want that kind of life for her son. She saw what kind of lives orphans live. That's why she was seriously thinking of retiring from active duty. She was thinking of applying for the Teacher spot in the Academy. She likes working with kids and you don't stare death in the face every day.

"You know, you told me a lot of stuff about yourself but not your name. Can I learn the name of the man that saved us?" smiled kindly and appreciatively Kurenai.

The man turned away from her. He looked like he was deep in thought, like he was in a conflict of sort.

And he was. Telling her his real name is definitely out of the question. He doesn't need trouble in his life right now. He can't exactly tell her he is from Konoha, now can he? He can't return to that place just yet. He still has a lot to accomplish and a lot to finish.

He gave her an answer, "You can call me Minaze."

Kurenai frowned. She knew it was a false name. Everything the man told her so far was shrouded in mystery. What has he got to hide? Is he a criminal, a missing ninja? Is he running away from something?

"I'm guessing you won't tell me your real name, huh." Frowned Kurenai.

The man chuckled at her, "No, not yet. My name spells…trouble for me."

"How so?" digged in further Kurenai. She got the feeling that she could squeeze more information out of him right now.

The man looked at her, his white mask giving him a scary look, "Unresolved issues." That was all he gave to her. He smiled behind his mask when Kurenai pouted yet again. It looks like she had a bit of a gossip streak inside of her. Always wanting to know more. It shows that even the Ice Queen of Konoha likes to delve into more womanly stuff.

"You know, you are the most secretive guy I've ever met. Not even Kakashi Hatake is so mysterious. I'm sure you know who that is." Scoffed Kurenai.

The man laughed at the mention of the Sharingan no Kakashi, his sensei in the past, "Oh, I know who he is."

Kurenai perked up yet again when he heard his tone of voice. It sounded like he knew the man personally or at least talked to him once or twice.

"You make it sound like you know him or something." Narrowed her eyes Kurenai.

Minaze chuckled, " Of course I know who he is. The whole world knows who he is. The Legendary Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake. A decorated war hero and one of the strongest ninjas in the world. His reputation precedes him."

Kurenai didn't buy his answer, "You are definitely a weird person. Don't think I bought that little charade you just pulled. You know Kakashi, you can't lie to me."

Minaze smiled at her behind his mask, "It seems I can't hide anything from you. I admit, I do know him. But that's as much as you are gonna get out of me."

"That's okay. I've got time. By the end of the week I will learn who you really are 'Minaze'." Grinned Kurenai.

The man laughed, "Good luck with that."

She huffed and turned away from him which just made Minaze smile further.

Naruto decided to ask her something, "You know you are very different from what I expected. The Ice Queen of Konoha doesn't suit you."

She turned towards him, slightly surprised by his remark, "What did you expect?"

The man chuckled playfully, "A cold-hearted, evil witch."

Kurenai frowned. Why does everyone think that she has no heart? Does she give off that kind of vibe or what? "I get that a lot. I guess I can only blame myself and that moniker of mine, The Ice Queen. I can be cold but only towards people who deserve it."

Naruto secretly smiled behind his mask, "Then I should feel lucky, right?"

She raised her brow, "Lucky? Why?"

"Well, you aren't cold towards me so that means I'm special, right." Laughed playfully Naruto.

Kurenai couldn't help but smile a bit, "Don't get carried away. I still haven't formed my opinion of you."

"Much better than what most people used to say." Chuckled bitterly the man, obviously connected to his mysterious past.

Kurenai groaned. Here he goes again with the secrets. It's just her luck to be saved by a man whose entire life is surrounded in mysteries. This time Kurenai didn't inquire any further about the matter even though she really wanted to find out more about him but decided on giving him some room and privacy.

The damnable and somewhat embarrassing silence ensued once more. This time it wasn't Kurenai who broke it, well at least not completely.

A loud grumble could be heard in the clearing. The man turned towards the direction from which the noise came and saw an embarrassed looking Kurenai who was finding her lap suddenly very interesting. Her cheeks were colored red from embarrassment from releasing such a loud noise.

Naruto laughed at her predicament, "Well, it seems your stomach is all healed up. Come on; let's get you something to eat. I'll check on your partner as well."

Kurenai nodded gratefully to him. It has been a while since she had a decent meal. She was practically drooling at the prospect of having some delicious steak and rice… Yummy!

They both entered the house and Naruto formed a clone to take care of breakfast. The real Naruto went to check up on his other patient. After a few minutes of performing what little he knew of Medical Analysis, he turned back towards Kurenai who was sitting behind the table waiting for the clone to finish her breakfast.

Naruto took a seat opposite of her, "Your partner is healing just fine. He'll wake up sometime tomorrow or the day after that."

Kurenai smiled in relief. She was happy to hear that. The ANBU protected her with his life and she wanted to thank him for that. He went out of his way to protect her and that is not something many people would do especially for a stranger.

The duo waited in silence for breakfast, each lost in their thoughts. The clone finished preparing breakfast after 15 minutes or so.

Kurenai got some steamed rice, miso soup and tamagoyaki which is basically a rolled omelet. She licked her lips and dug in ferociously but somehow her grace and womanly elegance remained intact.

Meanwhile Naruto received a breakfast which earned him a curious glance from Kurenai and some suspicion as well.

"Ramen?" asked Kurenai while eating her own delicious food. Seriously, this guy knows how to cook. This is one of the best breakfast she has ever had.

Naruto tensed a bit, realizing what mistake he just did but Kurenai failed to notice that. He made a quick recovery, "Yeah, I tend to eat it in the mornings. Why? Something wrong?"

Kurenai shook her head, "No, not at all. Ramen reminded me of someone."

"A friend?" asked Naruto, feigning ignorance and doing a damn good job.

Kurena nodded solemnly, "Yes. Well, not exactly. We weren't really close or anything but I considered him my friend."

"What happened to him?" continued Naruto.

Her face grew solemn, "He disappeared after the war. He went to confront his best friend and never returned. It's been 3 years now. Some say he died but the people that knew him still believe he is alive. His friends back home never gave up hope."

Naruto remained quiet for a few seconds, "What about you? What do you think?"

She smiled, "I believe he is still alive. He isn't the kind of man that dies easily. I know he's out there somewhere."

Naruto smiled behind his mask, his heart felt warm after a long time, "That man is lucky to have friends like that."

Kurenai chuckled silently, "That he is. You know, you resemble him in a way."

Naruto had a serious look behind his mask, pondering whether or not Kurenai was on to him. His voice didn't betray his thoughts though, "How so?"

"Well, for starters you are both blonde and you both eat Ramen. You have moments when you act the way he used to. And you use clones like he does. It was his trademark Jutsu." smiled Kurenai, remembering the blonde sunshine of Konoha.

Naruto felt his tension ease. He was good for now. His secret is still safe. But this was getting risky. He needs to keep his distance otherwise she'll find out which he can't afford right now.

"It's not good to live in the past. It's great you keep the hope intact but you will have to let your friend go. You should focus on your future instead of keeping hold of your past." Said Naruto, speaking from experience.

Kurenai retorted, "I disagree. The past shouldn't be forgotten. It should be remembered because it made us what we are now. The past is just as much a part of us than the present or the future."

Naruto turned away from her, "A difference of opinion. A word of advice: the past will eat you up if you try to live in it."

Kurenai didn't answer him. He had his opinion and she had hers. She doesn't want to forget her past. Asuma is in her past and she doesn't want to forget him, not ever.

But that's beside the point now. Something else was on her mind right now. She was getting more and more suspicious of the man. He sometimes tends to act very familiar and then at the same time not. He seems to know a lot about Konoha but tries to hide it. He knows Kakashi on a personal level which further raises her suspicions about the man. Whoever he is, he is more than he lets on. He is definitely hiding something and she couldn't shake the feeling that she knows this man.

By the time she leaves this place, she will learn who he really is and what he is hiding. Of that, you can be sure!

"So, what do you do around here? I imagine it must get quite lonely." Asked Kurenai.

Naruto was thankful for switching the topic of their conversation, "Not much. When I'm not travelling I train or try to learn something new cause you never know when it might come in handy. It could mean the difference between life or death."

Kurenai continued her 'interrogation', "I've been meaning to ask you, who was your Sensei? I doubt you got as strong as you are now by yourself."

Naruto smiled behind his mask, " He was a wonderful person. One of the strongest Ninjas I knew and my role model and idol. He is part of the reason why I'm traversing the world and do what I do. He died a couple of years ago, before the war."

"I'm sorry. He sounds like a good man." Said Kurenai, offering her condolescens.

He chuckled, "Most women would disagree. He had a bit of a perverted side to him."

Kurenai frowned at that bit of information. Perverts are high on her Hate List, rapists are on the top but perverts are in the Top 5.

Naruto laughed at her reaction, "I'm pretty sure at some point in your life, you were a victim of his pervertness. Most of the women in Elemental Nations are."

She frowned further and got a tick mark on her forehead, indicating that she doesn't like this person despite what she said previously.

"He sounds like our own resident pervert Hatake Kakashi or the super pervert of Konoha Jiraiya of the Sannin." Scoffed Kurenai in annoyance.

"Yeah, he was in their league of pervertness. I'm pretty sure their pervertness is just a side-effect of what they witnessed in their life, though. Everyone has something to help ease their pain and nightmares. I'm sure you do too."

Kurenai nodded at him but still you don't have to resort to pervertness to forget about the pain. There are much better ways to go about it.

"What is yours?" asked Kurenai, interested in his vice.

"I train. I train until I pass out and then I train some more." Laughed heartedly Naruto.

She frowned, "That doesn't sound healthy."

"Hey, if it lets me forget then who cares." Chuckled bitterly Naruto.

Kurenai studied the man again. To her, it looked like he carried a heavy burden on his back, a lot of pain, sorrow and anguish is present in his voice and posture. It looks like he saw and experienced some really bad things.

"Did you fight in the war?" asked Kurenai, hoping to learn more about him.

He nodded briefly, "Yes, I was there. You?"

She shook her head, "No, I was 9 months pregnant at the time. I wanted to fight to protect my home and my friends but my Baby came first."

"Why are you still a Shinobi? Most Kunoichi retire after they become mothers."

She smiled sadly and sighed, "I really don't know. I guess that's the only thing I'm really good at. I'm thinking about applying for the Teachers position in the Academy, though. "

Naruto remembered his favorite teacher, Iruka-sensei. The first man other than his Jiji who really noticed him and acknowledged him. His teachings and his words will always be in his heart no matter how far away he is.

"Hey, you okay?" waved her hand in front of Naruto's face Kurenai.

Naruto woke up from his trip to the past, "Oh, sorry. Just remembering something."

She grinned, "Another one of your secrets?"

He chuckled, "You could say that."

She frowned in annoyance at his reluctance to share anything about himself. What has he got to hide? Why won't he tell her who he is? Is he afraid that she will hate him for who he really is? Could it be that she knows him from somewhere? Did he do something horrible? His reluctance to reveal his identity is only spurring Kurenai further to find out the truth. And she will find out!

Naruto turned towards the clock on the wall, "I have to go. I have some matters to attend to. I'll be back in the late afternoon. There's food in the fridge so help yourself if you are hungry. Your friend is stable so you don't have to worry about that. I will leave several Clones in the vicinity for protection or if there is an emergency."

"Thank you." Responded Kurenai, deciding to not ask him where he's going. He probably wouldn't tell her.

Naruto nodded and the next second he was gone in a Shuunshin. Kurenai was left alone to explore the house she was currently staying in more detail. Who knows, she might find something that will help with her quest.

""""""""""""""""""Meanwhile"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"Are you positive?" asked the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade Senju, looking and sounding very serious behind her desk. She was currently staring down a dog. Yes, a dog. But this was the personal Ninja Dog Summon of Hatake Kakashi.

Pakun nodded, "Yes. I'm positive. This scent can only belong to him."

Tsunade barked out her orders, "Kakashi! Gather the Rookies and find him. I want him back in Konoha by the end of the week!"

Kakashi nodded and vanished. Tsunade turned towards her window that overlooked the village.

A tear escaped her eye for her lost 'son, "Naruto, please come back."

Chapter 2! It probably could be a lot better but I'm on a tight schedule right now. I've got exams coming up so I'll be busy for a while. I probably won't have time to write new chapters for this story or for my other one. I'll see you when I see you! Enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

Numero 3! Wow, over 60 faves and alerts in just 2 chapters, that's amazing, for me at least! Glad to see you like this little story of mine. I hope you like this chapter as much as the previous ones. I know I said I won't release a chapter for a while but I somehow found some time for writing so here you go. Expect the next one in 2 weeks or so. College, college, college…. I hate it!

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Tension could be felt in Konoha. Why? The Rookies were gathering which could only mean something is about to go down. Since the war Konoha Rookies made a name for themselves and established themselves as one of the strongest Ninjas to have ever come out of Konoha. What was their motivation, some of you might ask? It was their missing friend and hero. They trained and trained so that one day they could stand side by side with their best friend, Naruto Uzumaki. They never, not for a second believed that he was dead. Uzumaki Naruto is not someone that dies easily. He is the toughest bastard in the world and there is no way some traitor could ever kill him. Not a chance!

The Rookies, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Lee, Ten Ten, Neji, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Sai, Sakura were standing in Hokage's office looking at a very serious Tsunade. Alongside the Rookies were their teachers, Kakashi and Gai. There was one more person in the room, Temari of the Sand who was acting as a liaison between Konoha and Sand. Shizune was as always by her Masters side.

Sakura interrupted the silence, " Tsunade-sama, what's happening? Why are we all here?"

Tsunade rested her head on her hands, a Kage look on her face. Whatever it was it must be something humongous.

The truth was out, "Naruto has resurfaced."

The Rookies, Temari and Gai, all stiffened and shook in surprise. Their eyes were wide but full of happiness and hope. This is what they were waiting for 3 years. Their friend, the hope of Konoha was finally back. They missed him so much.

It was Sakura again who spoke, excitement evident in her voice, " Where? Where is he? How is he? Is he injured? When is he coming back?" assaulted Sakura with questions towards her Master.

The Rookies were all focusing on Tsunade and on her next words, "Sit down, everyone. It will take some time to explain."

The Rookies complied and made haste to sit down so that their Hokage could continue. Even Shikamaru was moving faster than usual indicating that he was also happy and excited but something was troubling him. If he did resurface why doesn't he come back?

Tsunade eyed everyone in the room and a small smile formed on her lips. She was glad to see so many cared for her lost son. It makes her heart warm seeing such devotion.

She continued,"Before I tell you anything about Naruto, I need to tell you the story leading up to that. As you all know Kurenai and an escort ANBU were sent on a mission in Grass Country. It was supposed to be a routine mission, get in-get the package and get out. It went horribly wrong. The client was a double agent and they set up a trap for Kurenai and her partner. More than 20 ninjas, all ranging from Chunnin to Jounin, ambushed them. They were cornered but they were rescued by someone."

Ino interrupted, " Was it Naruto?" hope leaking from her voice. The blonde missed her blonde twin dearly. Most people don't know this but they are really good friends and are very close. It started when her Sensei died and she was grieving. Naruto saw her once crying when he was walking home from training and comforted her. He stayed with her through the night just talking with her. He went out of his way to make her happy and help her with her pain. She was grateful to him and that was the start of their bizarre friendship. It deepened when Naruto's own Master died. It was much worse for him. Lord Jiraiya was a father in Naruto's eyes and the pain of losing him was unbearable. She sought him out that night. She saw him talking with Iruka-sensei on a bench near a 24/7 store. She waited for them to finish up their conversation. After that she returned the favor by shouldering his pain like he did with her. It was the least she could do for her good friend.

Tsunade nodded, "We believe it was. I received a letter this morning, a letter which you probably read, right Ino?"

Ino nodded. Others were wondering what letter, except for Shikamaru who was also there in Kurenai's house when the letter was delivered.

"The letter was from the man who saved Kurenai and the ANBU. It stated that they were safe and were currently recovering from their injuries. He told us what happened the day before and that they will return back to Konoha as soon as they are able." She paused to see that the information got to the occupants of the room.

Satisfied, she continued, " The letter somehow got into my office undetected which raised my suspicion. Kakashi summoned Pakkun and made him sniff the letter which confirmed one thing for us. The letter was sent by none other than Naruto. The scent no doubt belongs to him. He is somewhere in Grass Country. And that is where you come in!"

She was interrupted this time by Shikamaru, " If the letter is from Naruto then why doesn't he return to Konoha?"

Tsunade sighed, she was afraid of that question and the answer. The truth is, she doesn't know the answer. She was wondering the same thing. It's obvious he was travelling around but why won't he come back to his friends and family, the people that love him?

Kakashi saved her, "That is irrelevant right now. We can ask him that after we find him. It seems he is trying to keep his identity concealed which means Kurenai probably doesn't know that Naruto saved her. We have to find him before he disappears again."

Tsunade nodded in agreement, "Kakashi is right. I gathered you here to form a search party. You are to go to the Grass Country and find Uzumaki Naruto. Use whatever means necessary to bring him back!"

The Rookies all nodded. Only one thought was racing through their minds. FIND NARUTO!

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""GRASS COUNTRY""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Kurenai was currently enjoying the peaceful afternoon. She was lying down on the grass next to the water and looking up to the bright blue sky. She was thinking about some things. At first her thoughts went to her late lover, Asuma and all the good times they spend together, all the laughs, all the adventures, the hiding from their students. She moved on to another memory intent on staying away from the memory of his death and all that pain.

She thought about her friends, Anko, Yugao and Ino. These were the closest to her. Ino somehow wormed her way into her life after the war and she is intent on staying, not that Kurenai objects or anything. She likes the blonde. She sees a bit of herself in her. Always cheerful and positive but also calm and meticulous when she wants to be. Anko and Yugao were her oldest and best friends. They stuck with her through tough and tin and she couldn't ask for better friends. Kurenai no longer has any family so she considers her closest friends her family.

Next on her mind was her baby boy, Asuma Jr. He is a spitting image of his father except for the eyes. Those he gets from his beautiful mother. He'll be quite the charmer when he grows up, no doubt about that. He is a very energetic young boy, always doing something, always active. He already has a dream. He wants to be Hokage, can you believe that? Kurenai showed him his father grave a while back and told him what kind of man he was. That day he declared that he will become the best of the best and make his father proud. Kurenai was so happy that day and proud of her son. He really is his father's son. She only wishes that Asuma could be here to see that.

The thought of Hokage and her son's proclamation of wanting to become Hokage lead her to another memory. That of Naruto Uzumaki. It's been 3 years since Konoha last heard of the Hero of the Nations. Her mind often wandered and stuck itself on the memory of the blonde ball of sunshine. She doesn't know why but Konoha wasn't itself without him. Whenever she walked the streets of her home she felt like Konoha was different, changed. It lacked something or someone. The energy that usually radiated off Naruto is no longer surrounding Konoha and she misses that. Things are different without him. Everyone misses him even the other Nations.

They all respect him and acknowledge him. Naruto made friends out of every Kage which is unbelievable but not if you know Naruto, really know him. He always had a way with words. The Kages all pooled together their resources in order to find Naruto. That speaks volume of their respect for him. The people of the Elemental Nations all miss him. When they heard of his exploits and how he climbed from the dead-last to the greatest Ninja to have ever lived, they all revered him as an idol, a hero. He was a hero in their eyes. He represented hope, chance. If he, an outcast could become the best so could they. They all hoped that he will return one day.

Kurenai smiled at the memory of the blue-eyed God of Hope. He always had a knack to do the impossible, ever since he was born. He survived the hatred and the pain. He survived the beatings, the glares, the insults. He survived the Village. He succeeded in where everyone else would surely fail. He became a Gennin, saved his sensei, beat a genius, saved 2 countries, fought against Orochimaru and survived. And that was before he became thirteen. Naruto was the epiphany of determination and bravery. Perhaps that is why Lord Jiraiya noticed him or it could be something else. Everyone wondered why he chose him but he would never tell them. But Kurenai saw something in Jiraiya's eyes. It was… happiness… a bond of sorts. She saw how those two acted around each other. It was like watching a father and son bickering. They were family. And she was happy for Naruto. He deserved it.

She was rustled out of her thoughts when she heard someone coming out of the forest. She turned towards the direction where she heard the noise coming from and saw the masked man walking towards her.

She waved at him. He nodded at her and sat down next to her. He formed a clone and told him to go check on the patient in the house. He turned towards her, "Everything alright?"

She nodded, "No problems at all except for the boredom. How do you do it? Don't you get lonely here?"

He chuckled, "You get used to it. But it's not like I stay here the whole day. There's a village not too far away from here. I go there from time to time."

"Thank God. I thought you liked being a loner." Grinned teasingly Kurenai.

"Look who's talking, Ice Queen." Retorted back Naruto, gaining the upper hand in this light scuffle.

She scowled, "Hey, it's not like I enjoy having that nickname. Blame that on the perverts I shot down during my lifetime."

He laughed and she joined him after a while. It was kinda funny. When she thinks back on it, it was funny seeing the reactions of the guys she ignored. They were liked kids that were denied candy, except that in this case candy was Kurenai.

"I can imagine the faces. I saw it plenty of times on my Master's face. It was priceless and the running away from women was too." Laughed Naruto.

Kurenai grinned, "I know what you mean. I mean, what do perverts expect? That we will welcome them with open arms? Idiots!"

"Well they have their selves to blame for thinking with their lower regions instead of their brain." Chuckled Naruto.

"Or with their heart. If you want to impress a woman speak from your heart." Smiled Kurenai, thinking back when Asuma first started flirting with her. He was such a klutz but he was genuine in his compliments, that's why she didn't turn him down.

Naruto nodded and chuckled. He smiled, "Whoever won your heart must be one lucky man." Said Naruto, remembering Asuma. He was a great man in his eyes, one of the greatest.

Kurenai's face grew solemn at the memory of her late lover, "That he was… That he was…"

Naruto sighed internally, forgetting about the fact that the wound is still present in her heart. And he can't blame her. The wound from the death of Ero-sennin and his parents and 'him' is still fresh in his heart. It seems it will be there for as long as he lives.

"I'm sorry. Who was he?" said Naruto sadly. He hated himself for lying like this, for lying to her.

Her lips formed a smile of sorts, remembering the man that won her heart so many years ago, "His name was Asuma Sarutobi and he was my first love. He was a wonderful man and he would have been a great father." A tear cascaded down her cheeks.

"I know who he was. He was a great man. It's a shame he succumbed to this cursed world we live in." said Naruto in support and comfort to the woman next to her. He wanted to do more for her but he couldn't. He was risking enough as it is.

Kurenai nodded and wiped the tears that were forming in her eyes. It's been 4 years now since he died but the pain was still there. She was grateful to this masked man for trying to help her and comfort her. It did help, if only by a little. It's up to her to move on.

She shifted the attention onto him, "How about you? Anyone special in your life?"

He looked away from her, "A lot of people. My parents, my master and my friends to list a few."

"I meant romantic wise." Chided Kurenai playfully. He chuckled at her, "You just don't give up, huh. But no, there is no one like that."

She continued, "You are missing out on things. Perhaps it's time you quit being a traveler and settle down."

He smiled, "Perhaps. Who knows, I might do that someday but not now."

She nodded, "Good, glad you understand." Grinned Kurenai.

Naruto chuckled yet again, "You know you are very bossy when you want to be, even to a stranger. You don't feel uncomfortable at all ordering me around. You know, I could be a very evil man that wants to rule the world."

She grinned back slightly, "Please, you could never be evil; you are too kind for that. Besides, why should I be uncomfortable? If you aren't why should I be? Besides, you are actually good company, better than most male company."

He laughed boisterously, "You know, you are a very interesting woman. I'm actually glad for stumbling upon you and saving you. My life just got more interesting."

He stood up and said, "The day is still young. I'm going to the village I mentioned before. You want to come or do you want to stay here?" asked Naruto kindly.

Was that a question? Come on, that's too easy for Kurenai. She propelled herself upwards, clearly wanting to escape the boredom that is present when the man is not around. Sure, the clearing is beautiful but there isn' t much to do when you are injured like Kurenai. She could train here but she is still recovering.

"Lead the way!" smiled Kurenai. Naruto smirked and did as she asked.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""HALF AN HOUR LATER""""""""""""""""

They took it slowly since Kurenai was still suffering from chakra exhaustion and wasn't fit to run at higher speeds. Half an hour later they arrived at a small village that seemed to be full of life. The vendors were out and selling their products, kids were running around and playing. The women were gossiping, the older population sat on their porches and just enjoyed the new day. It was a beautiful picture, serene. It looked so peaceful, so wonderful.

Naruto smiled at the village that he adored so much. For the past six months or so since he found the clearing he was staying, he often came to this village. It calmed him down and filled him with joy. The people were kind and always cheerful. They welcomed him with open arms.

"It's beautiful." Commented Kurenai. Naruto nodded and smiled in agreement.

"I know. Far from any civilization, this place is untouched by the Ninja world. Come on, let's go."

Kurenai nodded and followed 'Minaze' into the village.

As soon as they were in sight of the village, there was a loud yell coming from the village. Kurenai looked on and saw a stampede of kids running towards them. Kurenai had a bewildered look on her face. What was just happening?

The kids were running at top speed towards their destination. When they were near the duo, they jumped and tackled Naruto to the ground, either hugging him or smiling at him. Kurenai was stunned but also very pleasantly surprised. It seems the kids loved him. A smile came onto her face at the scene.

Naruto laughed without a care, with the kids still on top of him. These kids always make him smile. They are so pure, so genuine to him that he can't help but smile at them.

He stood up with the kids still holding on to him like glue.

One spoke for everyone, "Ni-san you came back. We missed you. Can we play ninja again?" asked kid with the infamous Puppy Eyes Jutsu.

Naruto ruffled the boy's hair, "I missed you guys too. Of course we can play ninja. That's why I'm here. Come on, let's go. Last one to the village is a rotten egg." The boys and girls all started running as fast as they could back towards their village, not wanting to be the rotten egg.

They all huffed and panted when they arrived back but smiled nonetheless when Naruto started forming Ninja teams. They loved it when their Big Brother came to visit them. He always plays with them and tells them stories about his adventures.

Kurenai meanwhile leisurely strolled towards the village, still smiling at the man playing with the kids. It's like he has an aura that just attracts the kids to him. There was one other man who had that kind of spirit, their hero. A memory of Konohamaru and co. playing with Naruto came to her mind and she smiled wider. Konohamaru is perhaps the last link to Asuma for her. He is a part of her family now.

She focused her attention on the nice lady who was currently walking towards her. She smiled and bowed respectfully towards Kurenai, "Hello, my name is Akira. You must have come here with Minaze, right?"

Kurenai smiled back at the kind lady who was quite the looker herself, " Hello, my name is Kurenai Yuhi. I'm just tagging along with Minaze over there."

Akira nodded, "A friend of Minaze's is a friend of ours. Would you like some lemonade? It's pretty hot today."

Kurenai nodded gratefully and went with her towards the lemonade vendor down the street.

Kurenai conversed with Akira and the other Moms of the Kids that Naruto was currently playing. They were all looking at the scene with Naruto being pummeled to the ground by a horde of eight-year olds.

Akira turned to Kurenai, "How did you two meet? This is the first time he brought someone with him."

Kurenai told her the story of how he saved her and her partner. She left out the gruesome details about death, blood and other stuff.

"And here I am." Finished Kurenai.

Akira smiled, "Yeah, that sounds like Minaze. Always helping someone, always playing the hero. You know, he saved us from a band of bandits that were plaguing this area. He was just a traveler to us back then but as soon as he saw that we were in trouble he jumped in and saved us all. He risked his life to help us. A stranger risked his life for someone he doesn't know. He is a wonderful man."

Kurenai smiled with her at the story. The short while she knew Minaze, she knew that he was something special and this story just proved it. To risk your life for a total stranger, that is the quality of a good man, a hero. Just like their own hero from Konoha.

Kurenai asked, "Have you ever seen his face?"

Akira smiled at Kurenai's interest in the man. Akira shook her head, "No. He's very secretive about that. But we don't care about that. We don't need to see his face to know what kind of man he is. But…"

Kurenai's gaze was plastered on Akira's, "But…"

Akira smiled again, "I know he has blue eyes. The most wonderful shade of blue I have ever seen. "

Kurenai felt giddy inside. She learned something new about him. To sum up what she knows so far: he has blue eyes, blonde hair, is a ninja from somewhere in Fire Country, knows Kakashi, has been to Konoha before, a pervert for a master… She frowned in thought. It was still not enough. These are just minor details about his life, nothing substantial. He could be anything for all she knows. She needs something… more relevant to him, something personal.

She turned back towards Akira, "What can you tell me about him? He is very secretive with me. He doesn't like to talk about himself."

Akira nodded in her assessment of the man, "Yeah, that sounds like him. I don't really know that much about him. We don't talk about his past or his identity. He comes here often to play with the kids or help however he can, either with constructing, grocery shopping for the old or something like that."

Kurena frowned again in annoyance. This man was bugging the hell out of her, repeatedly.

She turned back towards the playing 'Minaze' or whatever his name was. She had a half of mind to just marching over there and tear that mask off. But she refrained herself from doing that, for now at least.

She saw him walking towards her while telling the kids that he'll be right back.

He stopped, "Kurenai, would you like to join us? We are one short."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised, "Uhm, I don't know. I really shouldn't."

Naruto will have none of it, "Come on, it will be fun. Let's go." He took hold of her hand and she could feel his strong grip, his power. She didn't resist, it's like she didn't want to resist. She shook herself out of her thoughts and focused on the screaming kids in front of her.

Naruto calmed them down a bit, "Settle down, kids. This is Kurenai and she will be joining us. Say hi."

The kids all greeted in unison, "Hi, Miss Kurenai."

Kurenai smiled at the adorable kids, "Hello there. You'll have to forgive me if I'm not good at playing your games. I've never done this before."

Naruto reassured her, "Mah, don't worry about it. Just go with the flow. The kids will take care of everything else."

She nodded albeit not so sure about this. But she had no time to object as she was bombarded with questions from the kids, one of them particular surprised her and made her blush, "Ne, ne Ni-chan is she your girlfriend?"

Kurenai blushed but hid it well, years of experience I guess. Naruto's reaction couldn't be seen but his voice indicated he wasn't thrown off by the question or he was really good at hiding it.

He chuckled warmly, "No, she is my friend. Now, who will be the Commander?" 10 hands shot up into the air, all of the kids volunteering for the position.

A couple of hours passed and Kurenai was absolutely exhausted. Who knew that playing Ninja with kids could be so tiring? Definitely not her. But she'll have to get used to this, since Asuma Jr. will surely also want to play Ninja one day.

Despite the fatigue she was content. She had a good time. She can't remember the last time she felt so relaxed and happy. Her belief that Minaze is a good company just strengthened. Being around him for the past 2 days was never boring.

Naruto and Kurenai were walking back towards the house, conversing with each other, telling some jokes, having a few good laughs at each other's embarrassing accounts from their past.

They entered the house and saw a peculiar sight. The unconscious ANBU was now conscious and sitting on his bed, rubbing his head.

"Oh, I see you are awake. Much faster than I expected." Said Naruto.

The ANBU, obviously surprised by the intrusion of this new, unknown voice, shot out of his bed, getting into his ANBU stance. He regretted doing that as he immediately felt dizzy and fell backwards. He was caught by Naruto who gently laid him back down on the bed. Kurenai decided to calm the ANBU, "It's okay. He's a friend. He saved us after you lost consciousness."

The ANBU looked towards the voice and saw it was Kurenai. ANBU sighed in relief, happy to see that she was okay. It seems he needs to thank this man.

ANBU turned towards his savior and spoke, "It seems I owe you a thank you and an apology. Sorry for reacting the way I did. It was uncalled for."

Naruto chuckled at the man's clumsy apology which wasn't needed, "Please, don't apologize. You are a ninja and a good one judging from the way you reacted. Now lay down so that I can inspect your wounds."

ANBU complied and Naruto did some basic analysis. He finished after a few minutes.

Naruto moved away from the bed and the ANBU moved to a sitting position.

Naruto spoke, "It looks like you are healing nicely. Your head will feel like lead for a day or so. You suffered a concussion so that's normal. You do have severe chakra exhaustion which will take a while for you to recover. Your ribs are healing nicely. I say in a week's time you will be good to go."

ANBU nodded thankfully for the man's help. Kurenai addressed the ANBU, "Thank you for taking that hit for me. I owe you my life."

ANBU chuckled in amusement, "No need to thank me, Kure-chan." Kurenai went wide eyed. Only two people call her that, Anko and Y…

The ANBU started removing the mask. When the mask came off, it's like some sort of visage that was around this ANBU disappeared. It revealed a gorgeous looking woman with long purple hair that went down to her waist. Her face had that exotic feeling, a hidden feralness just waiting to be unleashed.

Kurenai was gasping for air, "Yugi-chan? What? How? Why?"

Yugao laughed loudly at Kurenai's shocked expression. The pain coming from broken ribs hurt her a bit she paid it no mind right now. It seems her second mission was a success.

"Haha, you should see your face right now. It looks like our experiment worked." Grinned Yugao, happy to have pulled one over Kurenai.

"What experiment?" demanded Kurenai who was annoyed and still shocked.

Yugao turned towards Naruto, "Uh, could you leave us for a moment? This is a Konoha secret."

Naruto nodded even though he really wanted to find out how she tricked him. Yugao turned back towards Kurenai.

She grinned in amusement. She told of her second mission which was actually an experiment. The biggest problem with ANBU masks was that they only hid their face but not much else. The hair, the body, everything else is still out in the open. And ever since Orochimaru got his hands on the ANBU Folder which has the identity of every single ANBU on the job, Tsunade had a branch of the ANBU working on a new 'mask', one that would hide everything. And this mask of Yugao's was the prototype.

It was imbued with a complex sealing formula and a simple Genjutsu that hid the true body from sight and replaced it with a body made of Illusion. You might ask yourself, but if it is just a Genjutsu then if you get hit, the Genjutsu breaks, right? Wrong!

That's where the Sealing formula comes in. It makes the Illusion tangible. It is similar to Tsunade's Henge no Jutsu but since that is something only she knows how to do, they had to come up with something similar. Fuinjutsu is truly a remarkable thing. The Sealing Formula also hides the usage of chakra which is needed for the Illusion to stay on.

Kurenai was stunned. She was fooled all along. She had no idea that her best friend was behind her mask. She was furious at her but at the same time happy to see her and happy to see that she is okay. She wouldn't forgive herself if she died because she was weak.

Kurenai hugged her dear friend, happy to see her indeed. Yugao returned the sentiment.

Naruto meanwhile returned to the room and smiled at the scene. He is also happy to see Cat-chan. He remembers her from when he was younger. She was in the ANBU squad assigned to keep watch over him. She would see her from time to time watching him from the rooftops. He also had a sinking feeling in his gut that she was the one that would occasionally buy him food and clothes. Too bad he can't ask her right now.

Kurenai let go of her friend and introduced Minaze to her, "Yugao, this is Minaze. He saved us."

Yugao bowed and thanked him, "Pleased to meet you, Minaze. My name is Yugao."

Naruto bowed back, "Uhm, isn't it forbidden to tell your name if you are an ANBU?" asked Naruto shyly.

Yugao gave him a stern look, "True, but you won't tell anyone, right? I can always ask Kurenai to send you into a Yaoi Genjutsu. Would you like that Minaze?" grinned evilly Yugao.

Naruto shook his head and waved his hands in front of his face frantically, "No, no, no. I can keep a secret. I promise."

She smiled and Naruto let out a sigh of relief, happy to have escaped that torture. Yuago teased, "I knew it. Kurenai already has you whipped. Sucker!"

Naruto grumbled something and turned away from the two laughing females. Kurenai high-fived Yugao for the victory. Naruto turned back towards them discreetly and smiled at them. He missed them. He misses them all. But it's not the time yet to return.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""KONOHA"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Kakashi stood in front of his squad. The Rookies was there plus Gai and Temari.

Kakashi spoke, "You all know what the mission is. Our friend is waiting for us out there. Let's not keep him waiting, shall we?"

They all nodded seriously and with determination. They would find him and they will bring him back if it's the last thing they do.

The end! I hope you like it. Review please :)))


	4. Chapter 4

Hey hey, another chapter for Her Savior! I've got amazing response for the last 3, over 90 alerts and over 70 faves, 5 C2s and so on… You guys are the best! I hope this chapter is to your satisfaction.

**Just to answer a reviewer, the reason why Sai is named as one of the Rookies is because I think of him as a replacement of Sasuke. That and I'm too lazy to mention him individually.**

Disclaimer: Not the owner of Naruto….

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"I see, so that's what happened after I passed out." Said Yugao thoughtfully. Naruto nodded at her, indicating that he finished retelling the events that happened the day before.

She sighed, "It seems I owe you more than my life, Minaze." Naruto raised his eyebrow. Yugao continued, "You saved Kure-chan from a fate worse than death. If you need anything let me know. I am in your debt."

Naruto smiled behind his mask, happy to see such loyalty for another person. "As I said to Kurenai before, you don't need to thank me. No one deserves a fate like that, not even my worst enemy. I'm just glad I was there when I was. It seems Lady Luck is smiling upon you two and me."

Yugao and Kurenai smiled at the man. Such a good heart he has, a rare heart. There aren't many people in the world with a heart such as this man's. They are lucky to have stumbled upon him. If it were any other man they don't want to imagine what would have happened to them.

"Kure-chan, it seems we have a gem of a man in front of us. Such a gentleman." Smiled kindly Yugao.

Kurenai nodded with her friend, "We are lucky indeed."

Yugao grinned, "So, tell me the juicy news! What have you two been up to while I was sleeping?"

Kurenai shook her head at her friends' behavior. It seems Anko was rubbing off of her and that wasn't a good thing.

Naruto chuckled, "I'll leave you two alone. You have a lot to talk about."

He was ignored by Yugao and Kurenai, the latter being grilled for any worthwhile information. He smiled at the two 'sisters' and left the house to do what he usually does, train.

When he left, Yugao turned serious and spoke, "Alright, what do you know of the guy?"

Kurenai wasn't surprised by her change of tone and behavior, "From what I gathered, we can trust him. I sense no deceit coming from him. Trust me, if he wanted us dead or worse he could have done it anytime he wanted. I saw him fight. I saw his power. Even with the two of us at full power we don't come near his level. He is in a class of his own." Finished Kurenai, telling Yugao what she learned of this mysterious man so far.

Yugao nodded, happy with what she heard so far, "Did you gather anything else? Who is he?"

Kurenai frowned, she was asking herself the same thing for the last 48 hours or so, "Trust me, I wish I knew. His name isn't Minaze as you probably deduced. He holds a lot of secrets and isn't very forthcoming with them. He says he's a traveler but I don't buy that story. He is running from something. I just don't know from who or what. I know that he is from somewhere in Fire Country with Konoha also a possibility. He seems to know Kakashi very well but I don't know from where. He could have served under him in the war or met him somewhere else before."

Yugao nodded, "Anything else? That isn't much to go on. That describes pretty much half of the male population in Fire Country."

"Well, he has blonde hair and blue eyes and a scar over his heart area." Answered Kurenai, a light blush adorning her face while thinking back at the memory when she saw that perfect body.

The blush didn't escape Yugao's eyes. She grinned in mischief, "Oh, it seems something or rather someone caught your attention. How was it?"

Kurenai scoffed, "I have no idea what you are talking about!" She turned away from her gaze which only made Yugao's grin increase in size.

"Oh, don't be like that Kure-chan. Please, tell me. I promise I won't tell Anko, at least not right away." Grinned Yugao teasingly.

Kurenai didn't relent but did respond, "I swear, you are becoming more like Anko every day. All you need is a short skirt and a mesh shirt and you are Anko Jr."

Yugao scoffed at the comparison. What? Can't a woman comment on a gorgeous body? It's only natural, for the love of God.

"Please, don't be such a prude. I still remember the time when you were the same as me and Anko. Don't tell me you forget the time when we went to the Hot Springs? I still remember someone having a nosebleed…" laughed Yugao playfully.

Kurenai's cheeks got red both from embarrassment and from reliving the memory. That was a good day!

"I thought we said we won't talk of that day again." Grumbled Kurenai.

"We did but 'she' isn't around anymore, remember? She can't hurt us for reliving that memory." Replied Yugao, caressing her cheek for some reason, like it was hurting her or something.

Kurenai winced at the mention of 'her'. She also rubbed her cheek for no reason at all, "Don't remind me. She was scary when she was angry."

Yugao nodded in agreement, "Amen to that. But enough about that. You still didn't answer me." Grinned Yugao towards the end.

Kurenai sighed. She knew she won't let this go unless she told her. Ah, what the heck! She would find out eventually. Kurenai got the feeling that Minaze trained shirtless.

"Fine… Do you remember the man that we 'observed' in the Hot Springs that day?" She got a nod in response. She continued, "It was 10 times better." Said Kurenai quickly, averting her gaze, trying to hide the enormous blush that was currently adorning her face.

Yugao wasn't faring any better. The blush was there and there were stars in her eyes plus a slight nosebleed from trying to imagine the body in her mind. It was working! My, oh my… Such body… She needs to see it for herself.

Kurenai recovered from the fantasizing and was shaking Yugao, trying to bring her back to the world of the living. Kurenai's heart wasn't really into it because let's face it, who would want to leave that world?

She slapped her once and then again and then again. The 10th time did the trick. Yugao blinked, not realizing at all that she was on cloud nine for 5 minutes, "I'm sorry, did you say something Kure-chan?"

Kurenai sighed but smiled nonetheless, "No, just trying to get your attention. "

Yugao sighed dreamily once more, letting all of her fantasies wash away, "I assume Konoha was notified of our status?" She got a nod for a response and so she continued, "Well, it seems we can't do much more but to rest and let time do its thing."

Kurenai nodded and turned towards the entrance of the house, "Should we go see what he's doing?"

By the time she said that, Yugao was already walking towards the door. She smiled at her antics and proceeded to join her.

They opened the door and looked around for the stranger. They spotted him on the lake sparring with one of his clones, both weaving in and out of each other's attacks. Kurenai and Yugao took a seat on the porch and content themselves by just watching him train.

Kurenai spoke up while watching Naruto block all of his clones attack. It seems the point of this sparring exercise was to evade or block his opponent's attacks and not to defeat your opponent.

"Yugao, does that stance seem familiar to you?" asked Kurenai her long-time friend. Yugao wasn't really paying attention to the stance but at the man using it but now that she mentioned it, the stance was slightly familiar to her.

Yugao hummed, "It does seem familiar but I can't place my finger on it. What is that stance anyway?"

Kurenai responded, "It seems like a mixture of what you ANBU use and some other stance I can't seem to identify."

Yugao focused on his feet and saw what Kurenai saw moments before. This man was using a variant of the ANBU style. It was modified to fit him but it's definitely one of Konohas styles.

"His feet work does look similar to ours but that's the only similarity. His blocks, his punches, kicks are all different from the way we use them. But the question is where did he learn the ANBU moves?" pondered Yugao out loud.

Kurenai nodded, "From his master perhaps. His master could have been an ex-Konoha ninja."

Yugao let the information run in her head a couple of times, trying to connect the dots but to no avail. It seems they will have to get directly to the source to find out. The problem is that the source isn't willing to talk about it.

She sighed, "This is taking us nowhere. These clues aren't enough. We can't keep on guessing like this."

"I know. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess. Maybe he'll tell us eventually." Sighed Kurenai disappointedly.

Yugao nodded and turned back towards the lake where Naruto was currently wrapping up his training session. He evaded a punch from his clone which turned out to be the last for him since a fist embedded itself into his gut, dispelling him.

Naruto righted himself and wiped the sweat which made itself known on his face.

"Phew, that got my blood pumping." Smiled Naruto, satisfied with the light session.

He turned towards the sky and saw that the Sun was already setting, the day coming to an end. He turned back and saw his audience sitting on the front porch, watching him with amused looks on their faces. It looks like they enjoyed the show.

He walked back towards the house and towards his two temporary companions.

He leaned against the wooden rail, "It seems luck is truly on your side, ladies. You will about to see something beautiful."

The two women wanted to ask what he meant but he answered their question before they could ask it, "Just watch." Said Naruto pointing at the sky.

Kurenai and Yugao focused their attention onto the sky. The magic of the setting Sun was turning the sky orange with a tinge of red, making it a gorgeous sight. With how busy Ninja lives are, many people forget about the simple things in life, like for example watching the Sun set or the sunrise and things like that.

Both Yugao and Kurenai watched serenely at the scene, both just enjoying this rare moment of peace and tranquility. Soon, everything will go back to 'normal'.

The Sun released the last of his rays and plunged the world into the darkness of the night. With the moment over Naruto turned around, "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Don't stay out too late. It gets chilly in the night." With that he excused himself and left the two ladies alone.

While Naruto was making dinner, Kurenai and Yugao both talked about their plans for the next few days. Yugao will need a few days to recover from her injuries and so does Kurenai.

"What is there to do around here?" asked Yugao.

"Not much. There is a village nearby which Minaze often visits. The people there seem to love him and treat him as their hero. But other than that, what you see around the house that's all there is to it."

Yugao sighed, these are going to be some of the longest days in her life.

With that said, they both retreated back inside the house for a nice hot meal courtesy of their savior.

"""""""""""""""""""""""ELSEWHERE""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"Anything Kiba?" asked Kakashi, the leader of this search party. The Konoha Ninjas were jumping across the forest top at top speed, all looking determined as ever.

Kiba shook his head. They've been travelling for a while now. They were nearing the border with Grass Country but they were hoping to pick up his trail already in Fire Country.

Kakashi issued a new order, "Let's pick up the pace!" No one objected even though some of them were already showing signs of fatigue.

They all looked on to the horizon, the image of a smiling Naruto appearing before them, giving them the boost they needed. They all picked up the pace and raced onwards towards their destination.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""HOUSE""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

It was morning. Yugao stirred from her slumber. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. Her body was still all sore and there was still pain present in the ribs department. The good news is no more headaches. Another thing to cross off of her injury list.

She looked around the room and saw that Kurenai was still sleeping but Minaze wasn't in his bed. She didn't pay extra attention to that. He can't be too far off.

She yawned and stood up and made her way to the bathroom. She did her morning routine which left her refreshed and rejuvenated and ready for the day that is to come.

When she got out of the bathroom she saw that Kurenai also awoke.

"Good morning." Said Kurenai through her yawn.

"Morning, Kure-chan. The bathroom's free for you to use." Responded Yugao.

Kurenai nodded and stumbled towards the bathroom. After a couple of minutes she came out in a much better state than before. She saw that Yugao was making coffee and waited patiently for her to finish.

She made some small talk with Yugao, "I'm guessing he wasn't here when you woke up."

Yugao hummed in response. Kurenai sighed, "He's really starting to annoy me with all this sneaking around."

Yugao finished and poured Kurenai some coffee, hoping to calm her nerves a bit.

"You can't blame him for having secrets. And we can't demand of him to tell us his secrets or his real identity. It's his choice." Said calmly Yugao. Kurenai knew that but still it was infuriating.

"Have you looked around the house yet? Find anything of interest?" asked Yugao.

Kurenai shook her head, "No, nothing special. He either doesn't have anything personal of his here or he hid it somewhere safe."

Yugao scoffed, "Of course he hid it. Wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's just bugging the hell out of me not knowing who he is. I feel like I should know him but I don't know why." Sighed Kurenai in disappointment.

"Don't worry, I'll help you. We still have time before we recover completely." Smiled Yugao in reassurance.

Kurenai smiled back and thanked her for her support. She was always a good friend, in good and in bad.

They sipped their coffee in peace until the door opened and in walked Minaze. They sensed him a while ago so they didn't feel surprised or alarmed by this sudden intrusion.

"I see you are awake. I trust you slept well?" asked Naruto nicely.

The ladies both nodded and offered him a cup of coffee which he happily accepted. They made some small talk with Kurenai fishing for more information about him. Naruto both smiled and scowled at her persistence. If this keeps up it's only a matter of time before they figure out who he really is. He is hoping that they recover soon so he can go on with his life.

"I'm going to the village to restock my supplies. If you want you can join me. It seems the villager, especially the kids took a liking to you Kurenai." Smiled Naruto.

Kurenai also smiled a small smile, "I wouldn't mind going there again."

Yugao also joined the conversation, " I'm in. I won't stay here while you two get to have all the fun. But we'll walk. I still can't run at ninja speeds."

Naruto nodded and offered her to carry her piggy-back but she vehemently refused the offer.

"Suit yourself. We leave in 20 minutes." Responded Naruto.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""VILLAGE""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

They arrived to the village an hour later, much sooner than they expected. The reason? Yugao finally caved in and rode on Naruto's back. Naruto convinced her after telling her it will take more than an hour to reach the village if they walked. Yugao was already feeling the burn just by walking so she didn't think she would endure it the whole trip. She finally accepted the offer and they proceeded to jump across the trees.

They were now seen walking towards the village gates. It was still early in the morning so there weren't many people around, just some street vendors hoping to snag a few customers.

Naruto set out to finish what he came to do before the kids swarmed him. He entered the supply shop and bought some linen, food, water and some basic tools for fixing the house. Kurenai and Yugao meanwhile decided to see what the vendors had for sell. They checked out some piece of clothes and jewelry but nothing really caught their eye. They found a small dango stand and decided to indulge themselves.

They happily strolled down the street, each with a dango stick stuck in their mouth. They were interrupted by someone waving at them and yelling, "Kurenai-sama, over here." Greeted Akira friendly.

Kurenai changed directions towards the waving woman and Yugao followed her closely, hoping to find out who this woman was.

"Hello Akira. How are you doing?" smiled gently Kurenai.

"I've been good. Thank you for asking. I see you brought a friend with you today." Said Akira while facing Yugao. She extended her hand, "Hi, my name is Akira. Pleasure to meet you."

Yugao smiled in return at this kind woman, "I'm Yugao. The pleasure is all mine."

Akira nodded,"Did you come with Minaze?" asked Akira.

Kurenai nodded her head in affirmative, "Yeah, he's shopping for some supplies. We tagged along so we wouldn't be bored." Explained Kurenai.

"This place is pretty nice. It's so peaceful." Interjected Yugao into the conversation.

Akira nodded, smiling at the woman, "It is. We have Minaze to thank for that. Ever since he came here, it's like all the problems disappeared. The bandits don't dare to come back and Ninjas stay away, not wanting to face Minaze in combat."

Their conversation was postponed for the moment because they heard a loud yell coming down the streets and it sounded like "Nii-san".

Akira already knew what was happening and Kurenai had her suspicions of what was happening. Only Yugao was left in the dark. They all turned towards the noise and saw Naruto running away from a group of kids. In his hands were two bags each, all filled to the brim with supplies.

Naruto stopped when he saw his two companions and Akira. He dropped the bags in their laps and made a mad dash down the street, away from the exuberant horde of kids.

The women blinked, it all happened so suddenly. One minute they were watching him run, the next they were holding his bags. They all shook their heads, while Akira smiled. She was used to this. It was happening a lot ever since he came into this village.

"Wow, that's a lot of kids. You were right Kurenai. He is popular." Said Yugao, a little bit surprised at the event that just transpired.

Kurenai laughed, "Just wait till he starts playing with them."

Another cloud of smoke arose at the end of the street and it was coming towards the women. Naruto could be seen running frantically away from his 'little brothers', not wanting to get tackled again by them like yesterday. Once they get on you, you are hard pressed to get them off.

When he was near the 3 women, he spun around and held out his hand in a stop sign, "STOP!" said Naruto, hoping they will listen. They didn't.

They all let out a cry of joy and tackled him to the ground. Naruto couldn't help but smile. He may complain at the attention but he really doesn't mind it that much. The kids laughed and Naruto laughed with them. They were all grabbing at a part of his body. Every inch of his body was covered by a kid. He ruffled the heads of the kids he could reach and smiled brotherly at them.

"Alright, alright. I give up. You can let go now. I won't run away." Laughed Naruto.

The kids complied and unglued themselves from his body. Naruto stood up and smiled at them. He had a soft spot for these little brats. Some of them were also orphans and he tries to look after them. He and the villagers all chipped in and built a small orphanage for them. It wasn't much but at least they have a roof over their heads.

The Chief of the village and Naruto also started a fund for the orphans and for the poor. The Kids Fund, as it is called, will be used to provide education for those that can't afford them. Naruto channels some of his earnings to this fund, hoping to make a difference.

A small kid with black hair and wild green eyes spoke up, "Nii-san, can we play ninja again?" All of the kids let out an excited yell, all agreeing with the boy.

Naruto chuckled and ruffled his black hair, "I have something better in mind. Come on, we need to buy some supplies for this to work."

Naruto led the group of kids to a store around the corner where they will buy what they will need for their little adventure.

The 3 ladies all watched in amusement at how the young man took control of the crowd full of kids pumped up on sugar.

Akira spoke, "I still can't wrap my head around how he does it. Just one kid can be a handful but more than a dozen, that's pure torture. And yet, he isn't even tired."

Kurenai agreed with the woman. She knows how tiring and difficult raising a child can be. But it seems Minaze is a natural when it comes to kids.

Kurenai smiled at that thought but nobody seems to have caught that small smile.

"You make it sound like having a kid is Hell." Said Yugao, oblivious to how stressing having a child can be.

Both Akira and Kurenai chuckled at her naiveté," You have no idea." Both said, making Yugao sweat-dropped and the thought of having a kid of her own seemed unappealing to her right now.

They stopped laughing at Yugao's expense after a few moments and Akira said they can drop their bags at her lemonade stand where they can enjoy in the miracle that is lemonade.

They made some small talk while drinking their lemonade. They talked mostly about Naruto and the village and where exactly they were. It seems they are about 100 miles from the border with Fire Country. They are still a long way off from home.

After about 15-20 minutes they saw Naruto and his entourage walking towards them, all of them grinning widely. Their hands were tucked behind their backs, hiding away whatever they had in their hands. The ladies didn't like that grin. They saw mischief in their eyes and it scared them a bit.

Naruto was upfront, acting as the leader. They stopped 5 meters from the lovely ladies.

Kurenai spoke, uneasiness present in her voice, "What are you guys doing?"

She wished she never asked.

Naruto dropped the bomb, "Charge!"

With that, all of the kids plus Naruto revealed what was in their hands. Water balloons! A shitload of them!

The ladies were bombarded with water, all of them caught unaware and unprepared. The bombardment ended after a few seconds but the damage was done.

Kurenai, Yugao, Akira were all soaked to the bone, their hair was a mess, their makeup in shambles, they were a mess.

Kurenai spoke, "You just…" she was interrupted when a kid with brown hair fired off his last water 'bullet' at her, nailing her right in the face.

The kids and Naruto were laughing their asses off, all of them unaware that Evil was in front of them.

Naruto was the first to sense the hidden Killer Intent and he stopped laughing and gulped nervously. He spoke in a shaky voice to the kids, "Uhm, I think we should run…" advised Naruto wisely.

The kids were confused as to why their Leader would say that. Meanwhile the ladies all stood up and glared at the delinquents.

Naruto took a step back and prepared himself for the dash of his life. He turned around and started running as fast as he could while yelling across his shoulder, "RUN!"

The kids looked towards the women who made their Leader run away in fear. And they saw why.

The group took a collective step backwards and sweated nervously. They gulped and moved calmly and slowly, not wanting to anger the Devil.

When they thought they had sufficient lead, they made a run for it, hoping to come out of this alive. Why did they have to listen to their Big Brother?

The woman all started chasing after them, well two of them did. Yugao didn't make it after 2 steps, her body not responding to her commands. She cursed out loud but she managed to yell to Kurenai, "Make them pay, Kurenai!"

With that she focused her attention on trying to move her body.

20 minutes later, the people of the village could see Akira and Kurenai dragging bound kids and Naruto down the street. Naruto was sporting a nice set of lumps on his head while the kids seemed fine, except they looked deathly pale, like they saw a ghost or the Devil himself.

They stopped in front of the lemonade stand, where the 'crime' happened. Yugao was there, sitting and sipping her lemonade, looking calm and composed.

She smirked, "I see they got to experience the Kurenai Medicine."

Kurenai grinned, proud of her achievement. Naruto spoke up, not pleased with the treatment he received, "How come only I got beat up? They threw the balloons as well."

Kurenai turned around and bent down so that they were facing each other, eye to eye. She glared, "Whose idea was this? Yours! Look at my clothes and my hair. They are ruined. Be happy you are still alive. As for you kids.." said Kurenai turning away from the petrified Naruto and looking towards the even more scared kids. She spoke sweetly but there was malice hidden in her sweet voice, " I trust you won't do this again, EVER. Do I make myself clear?"

The children all nodded furiously at the scary woman. When she turned away from them, they all sighed in relief and smiled at each other. They pulled off an amazing prank and got away with it. Life was good for them right now.

Akira and Kurenai took a seat next to Yugao and poured themselves some cold lemonade, easing their nerves and calming them.

Their drinks finished, Yugao and Kurenai waved the woman goodbye and relinquished the kids into her custody. While Naruto was still at the mercy of two soaked women and very angry women.

While being dragged, Kurenai spoke, " When we get back, you will make us the best lunch you ever cooked while we wash ourselves. Understood?"

"Hai." Said Naruto in resignation.

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"Ah, this feels so good." Sighed Kurenai while taking a bath in the lake in the clearing.

"I concur." Said Yugao also feeling very good right now.

When they got back to the house, they threw Naruto inside the house where he started working on the lunch. Kurenai threatened him with Yaoi Genjutsu if he peaked on them while they bathed. With that taken care of, they both went towards the lake.

They decided to just jump into the lake, with their clothes on since they needed to wash their clothes as well.

And now we find them relaxing in the shallow waters of the lake.

"I could fall asleep right now." Smiled dreamily Kurenai.

Yugao agreed with her. Her body felt so light right now. The pain was washed away by the water and she could feel her muscles relaxing.

After 20 minutes or so, Yugao decided she had enough while Kurenai decided to stay for a while longer.

"I'm going inside. I'll tell you when the lunch is done." Said Yugao while climbing out of the lake and drying herself off with a towel.

Kurenai nodded at her and went back to her relaxing.

Kurenai decided to have a swim in the lake, to stretch her sore muscles. She submerged under the water and swam for a few meters until she had to resurface. She repeated the process a couple of times, enjoying herself.

It was during the last excursion under the water that she spotted something. She swam towards it and saw an opening that seemed to lead to somewhere. She went back to the surface and took a deep breath and then dived in order to explore this underwater cave.

She swam for a few seconds. Then she saw that the underwater road seemed to end. She saw an opening and swam towards it.

When she resurfaced she took a deep gulp of air. The cave was deeper than she expected.

Her breathing under control, she looked around the cave and was stunned at what she saw.

The light reflected off the water, gave the cave a bluish glow, illuminating the whole cave. The place was beautiful, romantic in her opinion.

She turned towards the other side of the cave and saw a pathway that led into another room.

She climbed out of the water and started walking towards the opening in the cave.

She got the shock of her lifetime when she walked inside this seemingly uninteresting room.

She saw an altar of sorts. She walked towards it and saw a book on it.

She grabbed the book and read the title, 'The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja'…

She opened the book and skimmed through the pages, looking for anything special. When she got to the last page, her eyes widened. There was a picture of Lord Jiraiya there, signed as the author.

She touched the picture, making sure it was real and not a figment of her imagination. Kurenai never knew that Lord Jiraiya wrote a book that wasn't porn. She saw that something was written beneath the picture.

It said: " Gaki, I know he would have wanted you to have this. You were his favorite student and he loved you with all his heart. You were his family and he was proud of you, just as I am. You are destined to be great, Jiraiya knew it and I know it. You are the one!" It was signed by someone named Pa.

Kurenai reread the text again, intrigued by it. It seems this book was a gift from this Pa who seemed to know Lord Jiraiya, to a student of Jiraiya.

"Naruto?" pondered Kurenai. Only other student of Jiraiya that she knows was the Fourth Hokage. But if this was a gift to either of them, why is it here? Why is it in the hands of Minaze?

She racked her brain for a possible answer but it all led her back to just theories and a guessing game.

She set the book down to its original spot and searched the altar more thoroughly. There was a hidden compartment behind the altar. She reached in it and pulled out a box of sorts.

The box was wrapped in a cloth of sorts and had a swirling mark on it, just like the ones Jounins wear on their flak jackets.

She carefully unraveled the cloth and opened the neatly designed box. Inside were three pictures.

She picked up the first one and immediately recognized the man in the picture. It was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. She had no idea why his picture would be here but she had a feeling she will soon find out.

The second picture was up next. This one was of a gorgeous looking woman with red hair that flowed down to her waist. Kurenai knew this woman. This was Uzumaki Kushina, the Bloody Habanero and every pervert's nightmare and Kurenai's personal idol. She looked up to Kushina. She was strong, smart, beautiful and one of the strongest Kunoichis in the village, second only to Tsunade Senju.

She picked up the third picture and saw Minato, Kushina and Jiraiya smiling at the camera.

Minato had tears in his eyes, Jiraiya was smiling proudly while Kurenai was rubbing the lump that was her stomach.

Kurenai's eyes widened a bit. She knew that Kushina was pregnant but didn't know that Minato was the father. Sure, they were close, closer than most friends but to think they were actually in love. I mean, she had her suspicions that they were more than friends but she never got the chance to find out the truth.

Another thought was running through her head, the baby! If her suspicions are correct, then 'he' is their son. He has to be. The resemblance is uncanny. He has her personality and his looks. It all matches. Naruto Uzumaki is the son of Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina.

This again raises the question of why is this in Minaze's possession. Did he steal this? Is he actually N….

She shook her head. Minaze can't be him. If he was him then that would mean he lied to her, to all of them. To his friends, family, the whole world. Naruto wouldn't do that….

She shakily put the picture back inside the box, along with the two others. When she did this a note slipped out of the frame of the picture. She caught it and opened it.

"To my parents and my Godfather, the greatest people I know. I love you. Your son, Naruto!" Kurenai let go of the note and brought her hand to her mouth, disbelief etched on her face. Her body was shaking and tears were pooling in her eyes.

A single thought was in her mind, "Why, why,why,why…."

She raced out of the room, leaving the box and the pictures behind. She jumped into the water and swam ferociously back towards the house.

She jumped out of the water, using chakra even though her coils still haven't recovered.

"Kure-chan! There you are. We were looking for you." Said Yugao in relief. She was worried for a second that something happened to her.

Kurenai paid her no mind, instead she was focused on 'Minaze' or should she say Uzumaki Naruto. She was breathing heavily and she was shaking, either from exhaustion or from something else.

Naruto knew his time was up. He saw where she came from. She found his secret room. It seems his old life has finally caught up to him.

Kurenai spoke, "Why? Why did you do this? WHY?" yelled Kurenai in anger, sorrow, pain, anguish. Yugao was confused. What was happening?

Naruto spoke slowly and calmly, "I did what I had to do. I needed to get away. I don't expect you to understand but this is something I just had to do."

Kurenai was shaking wildly, her first clenched; tears were now falling freely down her face. She didn't know why but she felt betrayed and hurt. She was hurting but why? They were never that close...

"What's happening here?" asked Yugao, worried for Kurenai.

Naruto was about to respond when he sensed something. 'They' were coming. Despite the situation, he smiled behind his mask. It's been so long since he last saw them.

14 people jumped down from the trees, all facing one man and one man only.

Naruto slowly started to turn around while he spoke, "Long time no see, my friends."

Kakashi, Gai, Shino, Ino, Lee, Hinata, Sakura, Chouji, Shikamaru, Neji, Temari, Sai, Kiba and Ten Ten. All of them were looking towards the masked man, shock and surprise on their faces. They finally caught up to him. Yugao was surprised to see her comrades from the village. Kurenai was still in her world of pain and betrayal to notice them.

Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Ten Ten were all tearing up at the sight of their long lost friend even though he was hiding behind that mask. Others couldn't believe that this was actually Naruto.

Sakura spoke up, her voice shaky, "Naruto, is that really you?"

Yugao was wide eyed when she heard Sakura speak. She turned towards 'Minaze' in disbelief. What were they saying? Is this really Naruto?

Naruto sighed internally. It seems he caused them a lot of grief and pain. He never wanted that to happen. He wanted them to be happy…

He reached up and slowly started to remove his mask while facing his friends. His friends all waited for him to reveal himself to the world once more.

The mask came down and they saw the face that they missed so much. Those wild blonde hair that seem to defy gravity itself. The whisker marks on his face identifying him as the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. And those vibrant blue twin orbs of perfection that can read your soul. He was back. Naruto was back.

"It's been a while, huh."

THE END! Next chapter should be better than this one. I feel like I rushed it a bit. Nonetheless, I hope you like it. Please review and tell me what I did wrong or what was good….

Thanks for reading… See ya!


	5. Chapter 5

**I rewrote a bit of this chapter because I forgot to add Shino into the fight. His role isn't that big since his powers are useless when it comes to Naruto but I still want him to have some kind of role in the fight!**

Her Savior, chapter 5! I want to thank you all for reviewing and contributing to the success of this story… I hope you enjoy this next chapter…

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The wind ruffled those wild blonde locks that makes Naruto stand out among the rest of the population. Naruto was currently smiling at his long-time friends who were on the verge of tears. A memory of the last time he saw them, appeared in Naruto's mind.

FLASHBACK:

His friends were all gathered around a makeshift camp. The war was over and only one thing remained to be done, Sasuke. They were currently discussing about what to do with Sasuke. Kiba said that Naruto shouldn't shoulder the entire burden and that they need to finish off Sasuke instead of Naruto. Most of them agreed while Sakura remained silent, lost in her own doubts.

Naruto wasn't invited to this secret meeting because they knew he would object to their plan. Unfortunately for them, he already knew what they were planning. He watched them from afar and smiled at their determination but he knew this was one fight they could never win. Sasuke was his responsibilty and his alone.

He jumped down from the tree and made a clone, "Don't let them pass." Was the clone's only mission.

With one last look towards his friends, he took off into the forest and towards his Fate.

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"It's been a while, huh." Sadness present in his voice.

Sakura took a tentative step forwards, tears streaming down her face, "Naruto… Is that really you?" sobbed Sakura.

"Alive and kicking." Chuckled Naruto, but it was a blank laugh, without the happiness that is usually present in it.

Sakura wanted to rush towards him and hug him but Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her for the moment. Sakura looked at him, wondering why he stopped her but Kakashi wasn't paying attention to her instead he was focused on Naruto and him alone.

"It's been a while, Kaka-sensei. It seems time was fair to you. You haven't aged at all." Smiled Naruto, genuinely happy to see his silver mentor.

"It truly has been a while, huh Naruto. You've grown." Eye-smiled Kakashi, happiness and pride in his voice.

Naruto chuckled and looked himself over, "I guess I did, huh. I'm no longer the shortest…"

Kiba decided to end this little charade, "Buddy, we finally found you. Come on, let's go home." The rest of the group nodded and smiled at their friend. Somethind told Shikamaru this won't be as easy as they all thought. The look in Naruto's eyes didn't alleviate Shiakamaru's doubts.

Naruto adopted a serious look on his face when he looked at Kiba and his friends were surprised to see that such a look was directed towards them, "I'm afraid that won't happen."

Shock was present among the Rookies and company. Kakashi, Neji, Shino, Shikamaru somehow expected such an answer. They had a feeling something changed with Naruto.

"What are you talking about man? We came here to bring you home. We've been searching for you for the past 3 years." Screamed Kiba.

Shikamaru walked past him, "Kiba, look him in the eyes…" Kiba was confused as to what Shikamaru was trying to tell him but when he actually focuse onto Naruto's eyes he didn't saw the Naruto from the past, the Naruto they all knew but someone else.

Shikamaru stopped beside Kakashi and eyed Naruto while Naruto did the same.

A small smile etched itself on Naruto's face, "Hello, Shika. Glad to see you off the couch."

Shikamaru grinned, "As troublesome as this is, I thought it would be wise to come along." He sent a discreet glance to Temari which Naruto picked up on.

He chuckled, "Like father like son, I guess." Shikamaru merely smiled at the remark. Most of the occupants were baffled as to what they were talking about but some knew exactly what was discussed.

Sakura meanhwile was still sobbing, "Naruto…"

Seeing Sakura cry, Naruto decided to get serious.

He sighed and started, "As much as I'm happy to see you again, I'm afraid you travelled a long way for nothing."

"What do you mean? We came for you Naruto! Let us return home." Yelled Ino, Naruto's behavior confusing her greatly and saddening her. Like Sakura, she too was crying freely.

Sadness flashed through Naruto's eyes but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. He turned away from the crying Ino, not wanting to look her in the eyes. He didn't want to see her cry because of his mistakes…

He walked towards his 'home', turning his back to his friends. He turned to the right and saw a baffled Yugao and Kurenai who was looking towards her feet, her body shaking a bit.

Naruto sighed internally. He never meant to cause so much grief to them. He hated himself right now…

When he was close to his house of a few months he spoke, "I am home, Ino. This is my home now. I can't return to Konoha."

"WHY?" screamed Ino in protest, his words breaking her heart and the hearts of his friends.

Naruto shook his head, "You wouldn't understand. None of you here could undertand…"

"It's because of Sasuke, isn't it?" said Kakashi.

Naruto tensed for a moment but that's all Kakashi needed to know the truth, "It is about him. Naruto, you can't blame yourself for the mistakes he did. He chose the path of hatred and there was nothing you could have done about it."

Naruto raised his head to the sky and Kakashi could swore he saw him smiling, " There was a lot I could have done for him but I was too stupid to notice it. I could have stopped everything if I only noticed it sooner." Said Naruto.

"Noticed what, Naruto?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto shook his head and sighed, "It doesn't matter. We are getting off topic here. Talking won't make me come back to Konoha, nothing can now. I suggest you leave and forget about me, forget I ever existed. That will be for the best for everybody."

Disbelief spread through the ranks of Konoha ninjas. Not even the worst pessimist among them expected such words from Naruto .

Kakashi looked down and guilt was evident in his eyes. If he killed Sasuke when he had the chance none of this would be happening. It looks like he can't do a single thing right after all.

"How could we forget about you, you idiot? You are our friend, you are our hero. You are the glue that holds this group together, you baka. Can't you see that? Without you, we are empty. Konoha is nothing without you. Get a hold of yourself man!" shouted Kiba in anger.

"Listen to your friends, Naruto. Listen to their words, listen to what they are trying to say. You are running away but you can't keep on running. You have amazing friends who want to help you if you only let them." Interjected Yugao, walking slowly towards him.

She stopped right in front of him and gently put a hand on his shoulder and smiled, "You do not have to walk alone on your road. Reach out and grab their hands, Naruto."

Naruto was waging war against himself. Images of his smiling friends invaded his mind and happiness flooded his system but then Sasuke appeared and along with him came the feeling of betrayal and failure. The happiness disappeared and guilt reappeared.

He moved away from Yugao, "That is not an option, Yugao."

Yugao sighed in disappointment. It looks like talking to him is a lost cause right now.

"Why? WHY, NARUTO? Why go so far for someone like Sasuke? He is a traitor, he tried to kill us all. Don't you see? We no longer care about him, we care about you. Don't let him ruin what we have." Yelled once again Kiba, others agreeing with him.

'Traitor…' Naruto never thought of Sasuke as a traitor. Sasuke was lost, lost in his pain and hatred. What would you do if you lost everything and had absolutely nothing, no family, no love, no comfort, nothing! It was his job to bring him back and he failed…

"Even if he was a traitor he was still my friend, my brother and I…I…." he couldn't finish the sentence, the memory of that day clawing at his mind.

Kakashi continued, "You what, Naruto? Killed him? Is that what this is all about? Guilt?" He nailed it when he saw Naruto flinch at the word 'Kill'.

"Naruto, I saw what he became. You couldn't save him, no one could. You did what you had to Naruto. You shouldn't feel guilty for trying to save your friend." Said Kakashi, trying to get through to Naruto.

Naruto looked down, his eyes closed, his hands balled into a fist. His body suffered from the occasional spasm… The memory that was clawing itself into Naruto's mind now succeeded….

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"Goodbye, my brother." Smiled Sasuke, blood coming out of his mouth. He closed his eyes and let death take him.

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Naruto's eyes opened and his chakra spiked to unfathomable levels, shocking everyone around him.

"HE WAS MY BROTHER! I KILLED MY BROTHER! HOW CAN YOU SAY IT'S OKAY? I WATCHED HIM DIE IN MY HANDS. I PUT MY FIST THROUGH HIS HEART…." The anger subsiding and being replaced with light sobbing and tears, the chakra also returning back to normal… " I watched him smile at me while I shoved my hand through his heart…."

The rookies' heart broke seeing him in so much pain.

"I killed my brother, the one who acknowledged me as his equal and yet I couldn't even save him… I failed my brother…" cried Naruto.

Sakura took a step forwards and Naruto flinched and took a step backwards, "Get away!" in his anger and sorrow he unleashed a wave of chakra which pushed the Konoha ninjas back a bit.

"Naruto, calm down!" said Neji, speaking for the first time. To be frank there was a bit of fear in his eyes after he witnessed Naruto's chakra spike.

Naruto was breathing heavily and unshed tears were pooling in his eyes. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Getting angry at them won't solve anything.

"It looks like you won't return to Konoha. Fine, then I will leave." Announced Naruto.

The Konoha Ninjas all tensed, all ready to move and intercept his escape.

"I'm sorry Naruto. Tsunade told me to bring you back, whatever means necessary." Said Kakashi, revealing his Sharingan eye.

"Then that will be one mission where you fail, Kaka-sensei." Said Naruto, pumping chakra to his feet to teleport out of there and escape. Kakashi, Neji saw this and did the same but they they won't make it in time.

Yugao also noticed Naruto tense, that's why she sprung her plan.

Holding up the Ram seal, she yelled, **"BIND!"**

Naruto tensed and his eyes widened. Strange marking appeared on his body, holding him in place and cutting him off from his chakra.

With a lot of effort he turned towards Yugao, "When did you…?" The memory of her touching his shoulder appeared in his mind and he couldn't help but smile at her ingenuity. No wonder she's an ANBU Captain, always thinking 10 steps ahead.

Yugao yelled, "Kakashi now!"

By the time Yugao barked out her order, Kakashi was already in motion, going through several handseals but he was interrupted by a loud roar that was coming from Naruto. Kakashi's Sharingan eye widened in shock and disbelief. What he saw through his eye made him sweat. An incredible amount of chakra was gathering inside of Naruto and it looked like….

'SHIT!' cursed Kakashi.

"EVERYONE, GET DOWN NOW!" yelled Kakashi. Without a single moment of hesitation, everyone dropped down to the ground. Yugao seeing that Kurenai was still out of it, sprung into action and forcefully tackled her to the ground, ignoring the pain that shook her body.

It's good that they did listen to Kakashi because a moment later, all the chakra that was building up inside of Naruto exploded outwards, releasing Naruto from his binding.

A large shockwave shook the clearing and the Konoha Ninjas were barely holding on. The trees around them weren't so lucky. By the time the shockwave subsided, the clearing expanded by 50 meters.

The dust receded and there stood Naruto, unharmed and not even winded by that outburst of chakra.

"Nice trick, Yugao but I've seen it before. You'll have to do much better than that." Grinned Naruto.

Yugao scoffed and turned towards Kurenai, "Kurenai, get a hold of yourself. This is not the time for wallowing in your grief. I need you to fight."

Kurenai hearing her words, regained some fire into her eyes and nodded with a bit more determination.

They both stood up and turned towards Naruto, "I never expected that to hold you for long, Naruto. If it did I would be very disappointed." Said Yugao.

Naruto chuckled, "You'll see I'm full of surprises."

Shikamaru spoke, "Naruto, don't do this. Let us help you."

"I'm sorry Shikamaru. I need to go through this alone. I don't want to fight you guys. I don't want to hurt you so please leave." Said Naruto seriously.

"I failed once, Naruto. I won't fail again. I'll bring you back to Konoha!" said Kakashi seriously, his Sharingan eye narrowing.

"I would like to see you all try. Yugao and Kurenai are still injured so they are out of the fight. And only 3 maybe 4 of you can keep up with me with my initial speed. How do you expect to beat me?"

He was right and Kakashi knew it that's why he formed a plan in his head.

"Gai, Lee, I need you to cover our backs. You two are perhaps the only ones that can keep up with his speed so I need you two to cover our blind spots. We'll do the rest. Shikamaru, you know what to do!" ordered Kakashi. Shikamaru scoffed and sighed troublesome but did what he was asked to do. Plans were starting to form in his head and he was ready to relay them.

Both Gai and Lee readied themselves for the run of their lives. They couldn't help but grin with excitement. This is going to be awesome.

Ino went to stand beside Shikamaru in order to telepathically issue Shikamaru's plan. This way Naruto won't know what hit him. Yugao and Kurenai moved to the back of the group intent on staying out of the fight since their injuries didn't allow it.

Naruto seeing that they are getting serious dropped into the stance his late master taught him. Seeing that they will pursue him to the end of the Earth, he will knock them unconscious and then make his escape.

And then it stared. The battle to bring back their friend has begun.

A hail of different weapons rained down upon Naruto courtesy from the Weapon Mistress, Ten Ten. Naruto smirked. 'Easy.' Thought Naruto while drawing his Kunai to deflect them all. There were no explosive tags among them so he was safe.

His eyes widened a bit when he saw Temari jump into the air behind the projectiles and swing her fan, unleashing a wave of wind towards the weapons, increasing their speed and surprising Naruto.

Naruto cursed and jumped out of the way of the incoming projectiles but a string of Shadow was already making its way towards Naruto, waiting for him to land so that it could trap him.

Naruto formed a clone midair and used him as a jumping point. Naruto landed a few yards away from the shadow which was currently in hot pursuit after him. Naruto smirked and disappeared in a burst of speed, reappearing in front of the shocked Shikamaru and aiming a fist to his gut. He had to abort his plan when Lee came in with a roundhouse kick to his face.

Naruto raised his arm to block it but was surprised at the power behind it. It seems he wasn't the only one who continued to train hard.

Gai came from the opposite side aiming a low kick to his sternum. Seeing that he couldn't block it, he disappeared once again and appeared a little bit away from the group of ninjas.

"Impressive. Great teamwork. It looks like this is going to be harder than I thought." His speech was interrupted by the activation of a technique.

"**Katon: ** **Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" **Naruto turned towards Kakashi who just finished spewing out a large ball of fire. What he didn't expect is Temari once again unleashing her wind which made the already powerful technique even stronger.

The now enormous ball of fire traveled towards Naruto at amazing speed and Naruto scoffed. Did they think this was enough to bring him down? Think again.

He went through his own hand seals and yelled, **"Suiton: Suijinheki" **Pumping more chakra than needed into the technique, a large wall of water surrounded Naruto, shielding him from the fire.

But by doing this, it left him blinded to his surroundings and it cost him. When the wall receded his eyes widened because about 5 meters in front of him was a spinning mass of flesh in the form of Chouji and it was speeding towards him, aiming to flatten him.

He flexed his arm and poised to strike the chubby ninja but he had to abandon his plan when a wave of chakra grazed his arm courtesy of Neji.

He retracted his arm at the last second and evaded the giant ball. He had no time to rest as Sai attacked him from above while riding on his Ink Bird. He sent out a volley of Ink Birds at him.

Naruto evaded them all with ease but was then almost hit by a kick from Lee. He bent his body to its maximum level and avoided the bone crunching kick from Lee. He didn't have time to breathe when Gai came in with an axe kick from above.

Naruto's eyes widened. In a last ditch effort he put his hands above his head and braced himself for the impact that's about to come.

Gai's kick made contact with Naruto's arms. Combined with the free fall Naruto never stood a chance against Gai's kick.

Naruto hit the ground with such force that it left a human shaped dent in it. Naruto had the air knocked out of him and his arms felt like lead.

In his momentary distraction he failed to notice the spinning ball of flesh coming down on him. Chouji hit him full force and Naruto was pushed deeper into the ground, a small crater forming because of it.

His job done, Chouji released his technique and jumped away. He took his position beside their friends and waited to see what will happen.

"Did we win?" asked Kiba, hoping they did.

"Not a chance. Shino!" Said Kakashi, his guard up and his Sharingan eye scanning his surroundings. Shino nodded and sent out his bugs to suck him dry of chakra or at least some of it. The bugs squeezed through the cracks of the rubble and stuck themselves on Naruto. Bad idea!

They got their answer when the rubble where Naruto was currently buried, exploded and sent the debris flying towards the Konoha Ninjas. Shino's bugs were obliterated by the force of the evaded the flying rocks with ease and retook their stance and waited for Naruto to show himself.

Naruto slowly pushed himself up from the crater. When he did, he didn't look any worse for wear. The only thing that indicated he received any damage was his shirt which was now completely torn in pieces.

He dusted himself off and spoke in amusement, "Not bad. That really hurt."

The Konoha Ninjas' eyes widened, definitely not expecting this kind of outcome of their combined attack.

"How come you can still stand? That should have knocked you unconscious." Said Kiba, not believing his eyes.

Naruto chuckled in a taunting manner, "It wasn't that difficult. I used a wall of chakra to reduce the damage."

Kiba growled in irritation. He was mocking them…

Kakashi intervened before Kiba did something rash and foolish, "Impressive Naruto. It seems your control has improved drastically. The old you could never pull that off."

"Nah, my control still sucks. The technique is designed specifically for my large reserves. It's more about power rather than control." Explained Naruto.

Kakashi eye-smiled despite the situation. He couldn't help but feel proud of his sensei's son.

"Shall we go another round?" said Kakashi already knowing the answer.

Naruto nodded and waited for their attack to come. It's best if he keeps reacting to their attacks rather than attack himself. Despite being stronger he was still outnumbered and severely at that. Sooner or later they will run out of juice.

He was cut off from his planning by the damnable shadow once again pursuing him. He knew it was just a feint for the real attack but nonetheless he had to evade it.

He started running to the left, keeping ahead of the shadow. He kept his eyes on his surroundings and waited for them to make their move.

But the attack never came. In fact his friends didn't even take a step forwards. Why?

His eyes widened, 'Genjutsu.'

He formed the seal for 'Kai' and released a burst of chakra from his system, ending the Genjutsu. But it was too late. Gai's fist already made contact with his face and send him flying. Mid-air he was assaulted by Kiba and his loyal partner.

Akamaru came from below and hit Naruto in the back, sending him flying into the air where Kiba was already spinning, **"GATSUGA!" **yelled Kiba hitting Naruto in the stomach and sending him flying to the ground.

But this time Naruto didn't hit the ground. Instead he recovered mid-air and landed gracefully. He looked up and his eyes widened once again.

What he saw scared the shit out of him. Ino and Sakura both looked pissed and both were channeling chakra into their hands.

A moment later they punched the ground with so much force it created a fissure that was now currently heading towards Naruto. Quickly forming the necessary handseals he yelled, **"Doton: Doryuu Heki!"**

He spat a large amount of mud in front of him which formed into a gigantic wall of rock, protecting him from the incoming attack.

He sensed an attack coming from his left and shifted his body a bit to the left. A gentle fist narrowly missed his chest. Naruto and Neji made eye contact and both smirked. This was a rematch between the two.

The two top-tier fighter exchanged some blows, testing each other in taijutsu. While Naruto focused on power, Neji focused on elegance. Their styles were completely opposite and that's what made it more fun.

Neji went for a low kick but Naruto jumped over it. His sense of danger tingling, he dropped his head and allowed the kick from Lee to miss him. He had to shift his body a moment later because Gai came in flying with a kick to his chest. Blocking the attack with his forearm, the four fighters were currently in a standoff.

A moment later, Naruto had to deal with three experts in taijutsu and he was looking forward to every single minute of it.

A punch to the head was blocked by Naruto's wrist, a kick to his sternum blocked with his knee and another kick to his head blocked by his other hand.

Naruto smirked and in a show of power pushed his assailants backwards. But when he did that, he had to dodge several Ink Birds and some Kunai, a gift from Sai and Ten Ten who was riding on top of one of Sai's ink birds.

Deciding that they were quickly becoming a nuisance he went through some handseals at an amazing speed, **"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"**

A gust of wind was unleashed towards the two Ink birds but the wind was suddenly intercepted by another wind, this one more powerful than the first. Naruto's wind never reached its designated target. He already knew who decided to intervene, Temari of the Sand. A formidable wind master to test himself against. But that will have to wait because right now he had to dodge a water bullet from Kakashi.

And then a Gatsuga from Kiba and Akamaru. Then a '**Hakke Kūhekishō' **from Neji and Hinata. Kunais, shurikens, ink animals, **a 'Gatsuga', **Chouji's massive hand, some bugs and a large stream of fire from Kakashi.

Using Shunshin he created some distance between himself and his opponents.

Seeing that they took a moment of respite, he let out a deep breath and wiped the sweat that accumulated itself on Naruto's face.

He eyed his friends and stopped his gaze upon Kurenai who just a moment ago surprised him by using a Genjutsu despite being severely weakened from the fight a few days ago.

She was being held up by Yugao and was breathing heavily. A small drop of blood was trailing from her nose, indicating that the chakra exhaustion came back full force.

He spoke, "You caught me off guard with that Genjutsu. You are already injured Kurenai. Why push yourself further?"

Kurenai calmed her breath and looked up towards Naruto, her gaze cold and calculative. Naruto flinched but kept her gaze upon her, "To bring you back!" shouted in determination Kurenai. She went into a coughing fit a moment later and was quickly surrounded by both Ino and Sakura both applying medical chakra to her.

Naruto's eyes saddened but the sadness disappeared a moment later. He shook his head and got his head back into the fight.

Shikamaru spoke, "Kakashi-sensei…"

"I know. He's getting serious." Said Kakashi seriously.

Naruto took a few deep breaths and flooded his system with his chakra, revitalizing him for the upcoming round three.

Shikamaru blinked but by the time he reopened his eyes, Naruto was already gone from his position. A loud yell to the left caught his attention. He snapped his head to the left and saw Naruto's fist embedded in Kiba's gut.

Kiba was shocked, he couldn't breathe. Naruto retracted his hand from his stomach and let Kiba fall to the ground, holding his stomach in pain. Naruto jumped back and avoided Lee's kick. Lee took a defensive position in front of Kiba, allowing him to recover. It took him a while but Kiba eventually managed to stand back up, his eyes aflame with anger.

Hinata was immediately by his side, holding his arm in support and was actually glaring at Naruto. Naruto was surprised at her loyalty for Kiba. It seems some things have changed.

Naruto's gaze hardened, "Last chance, turn back or I won't hold back." Seeing that their determination to bring him back remained strong he sighed and closed his eyes, "So be it."

Kakashi panicked, "Lee, Gai, don't let him enter Sage Mode. Activate your gates!"

Quickly opening three of the eight forbidden gates, they rushed forward intent on stopping Naruto's ascension to Sage. Their speed increased twofold and they were by Naruto's side in the blink of an eye.

Naruto cursed internally. He had to dodge their strikes and somehow find a way to stall them. Easier said than done now that they've opened their damnable gates.

Quickly forming the handseal for his favorite technique, "**KAGE BUNSHING NO JUTSU!" **Twenty Clones popped into the existence, their objective stall for time.

Kakashi saw his plan and made his own plan to counteract his, "Everyone, don't let him enter Sage Mode. Sakura, Ino stay with Yugao and Kurenai. You are needed here. GO!" They jumped into action and helped Lee and Gai decimate Naruto's clones.

Naruto cursed, this wasn't good. He needed time to enter his Sage Mode. A voice in the back of his mind was telling him to use his power and end this in a flash but Naruto refused. If he was to do this he will do it with his own power.

His musing was cut short when he saw that his clones were all defeated and his friends were staring at him defiantly.

He couldn't help but smile; they really gave him a good fight, "As expected of you Kaka-sensei, you just won't give me time to enter my Sage Mode."

He didn't get a response so he sighed once more, "You defeated twenty of my clones, how about a hundred?" smirked Naruto.

Forming the Handseal, the clearing was flooded with a hundred clones, obscuring the real Naruto from their view. Kakashi cursed and rushed in to attack them.

"Temari!" he yelled while forming the hand seals for a **Goukakyuu no Jutsu!**

Temari responded immediately and swung her massive fan which unsleashed a massive wind which absorbed the fire and made it bigger. More than half the clones were instantly obliterated. Since their purpose was stalling and not fighting head on they weren't given much chakra, only enough to stall them for a few moments.

The rest of the clones were obliterated by the combined force of the Rookies and Gai.

When the smoke cleared, their eyes widened in fear and shock. There was the original Naruto standing there with a smirk while another clone of his was sitting cross-legged and meditating.

Kakashi's eyes widened and immediately focused lightning chakra into the palm of his hand and sent it towards Naruto in the form a lightning wolf. The technique was on the collision course with Naruto but Naruto's eyes remained closed and not moving an inch. When the Wolf was a few inches away from his face it was suddenly dispelled by a powerful wall of wind.

Kakashi cursed and prepared himself. This was going to get ugly.

Naruto's eyes opened and it revealed the orange pigmentation around his eyes and the toad like eyes, "That was too easy, Kaka-sensei. You didn't take into account that I only need a few seconds now to enter my Sage Mode.

"**GATSUGA!" **yelled Kiba coming from the left and Akamaru from the right. Kakashi panicked, "No, Kiba don't!"

But it was too late. Both attacks missed Naruto by a mile but Naruto's attack didn't. A punch to the face for Kiba sent him flying into the forest where he succumbed into the bliss known as unconsciousness. A kick that missed Akamaru on purpose but the natural chakra surrounding his leg sent him towards his master, also down for the count.

"Two down, who's next?" taunted Naruto with a smirk. He got his answer in the form of two taijutsu experts running side by side towards Naruto.

Gai, Lee and Naruto both exchanged some deadly blows but the power gap between them could be clearly seen. Naruto was holding back by a lot but was still holding his ground against the two.

Gai saw this and shouted to Lee, "LEE, LET OUR YOUTH SHINE!" "YOSH, GAI-SENSEI!" They both took their power up stances which they used whenever they opened more celestial gates.

Their chakra spiked but dropped the moment afterwards. The reason? They were both sent flying by two Naruto's. The original Naruto appeared above Gai while he was still flying from the previous punch and drop kicked him to the ground, a massive cloud of dust appearing because of the impact. The same thing happened with Lee.

But Naruto wasn't done. Naruto appeared above the still slumped Gai who was trying to recover from all that damage and put his hand on his torso, **"BINDING SEAL: SUBJUGATE" ** The same thing happened to Lee by Naruto's Sage Clone. Sealing characters spread throughout their bodies and glowed bright blue. The powerup which Gai and Lee received from their opening of the gates disappeared as soon as the marking activated on their bodies. A moment after they joined Kiba and Akamaru in the land of dreams.

Naruto dispersed his clone and jumped out of the hole made by Gai's fall. He turned towards his friends and waited for their move. He got it.

Ten Ten unleashed a volley of her weapons at Naruto who evaded them using his enhanced perception of danger. His eyes widened though when he saw that one of the kunais which went flying right by his eyes had a flash bomb attached on its hilt. A moment later, the flash blinded him. Neji used this opportunity to get close and strike him in the chest using his Hyuuga taijutsu. If only it were that easy.

Naruto sidestepped the blow and Neji's eyes widened in disbelief but he recovered quickly. He hit the ground and rolled to the left, dodging Naruto's deadly punch which shook the earth and made small crack in it.

Neji regained his stance and attacked Naruto head on. They exchanged blow after blow and then Neji took the stance for his **Hakke Hyaku Nijūhachi Shō ** and attacked Naruto faster, deadlier than before. Naruto smirked, it didn't matter if he was still momentarily blind, he can still sense them just fine and Neji's increased speed didn't do a thing. His sense of danger spiked though and he sensed another attack coming from behind. Feeling the chakra, he sensed it was Hinata and she was using a similar technique to Neji's but a weaker version. Frowning, he had now two Hyuuga's to deal with and their sneaky strikes to his chakra points. Using his nimble body he weaved around their strikes but soon their teamwork got the best of him and a gentle fist to the body from Neji and Hinata's punch that hit his shoulder sent him flying backwards but he managed to recover mid-air and landed gracefully.

He rubbed his stomach and he cracked his shoulder, "Nice. I actually felt that .If it weren't for my Chakra Defense that would have really hurt. You certainly have grown stronger." Complimented Naruto, his eyes now fully opened. "Let's go again." Said Naruto, this time he was on the offensive.

Using his speed he was onto Neji and Hinata in a flash,surprising the two Hyuuga's. Despite having their superior eyes, they were having a lot of difficulties following his movements. And they had a feeling he wasn't going full out.

The two Hyuuga's were forced on the defensive and content themselves by blocking his powerful strikes. Naruto sent a punch towards Hinata but she managed to incline her head to the left, allowing the punch to miss her. Her eyes widened though when her eyes picked up on chakra that surrounded Naruto's fist. In a reflex she too put up a wall of chakra that protected her head from Naruto's chakra. But Naruto's chakra was more powerful than hers and so she was sent flying. "HINATA!" yelled Neji, sprinting towards her. It's a good thing he did because Naruto was already in motion, appearing high in the air and dived towards her with a fist poised for strike. Neji took a defensive stance in front of Hinata who was still recovering from that punch. **"KAITEN"** yelled Neji, forming the biggest Kaiten ever, protecting both him and Hinata in his sphere of chakra. But that didn't deter Naruto one bit. Pumping more energy into his strike he collided with the sphere of chakra. A massive explosion rocketed the clearing. Nobody knew who won that little scuffle. When the dust settled, Naruto was seen standing over two prone bodies of Hinata and Neji. Kakashi saw that he said something to them but couldn't hear what.

Naruto sighed at his two friends. If only they listened to him, then this needn't have happened.

He turned back at his remaining opponents and started walking towards them. He heard Kakashi yell, **"**Diamond formation!" Ten Ten took her position in the back, Kakashi was upfront, Chouji to the left and Temari to the right. Sai was hovering above them on his Ink bird. Shikamaru was in the middle of the formation where he could easily transmit his orders. Shino meanwhile was in front Sakura and Ino as the last line of defense.

Seeing their formation and knowing that they've got their blind spots covered thoroughly he decided to disperse them and make them easy pickings. **"Futon: Kami Oroshi!" **A whirling vortex of wind was sent rocketing towards Kakashi and his group. Kakashi 'tched' and made some seals of his own, **"Doton: Doryuu Heki!" **He slammed his hands on the ground and pumped twice as much chakra as needed into the technique. A 40 feet tall and 35 feet wide wall of earth erupted in front of the group, shielding them from the destructive wind. Sai hovered above the wall and protected them from above. His eyes widened when he saw Naruto jump over the wall and spew a large ball of fire at him. Sai abandoned his bird and dived towards the ground, evading the fire. Mid-air he drew another ink bird and took up in the air once again.

Naruto landed on top of the wall and eyed his opponents. Pumping chakra into his arm, he striked the massive wall and destroyed it into tiny little pieces. He landed gracefully in front of his old sensei and his friends. They were all prepped and ready for another round with him.

Naruto created 5 clones without seals. The clones knew what needed to be done. Each clone disappeared in a burst of speed and appeared in front of his designated opponent and engaged them into a taijutsu fight. The clone that got Sai as his opponent was blasting the slippery Ink user with Jutsu after Jutsu, hoping to bring him to the ground where he can do his magic with Taijutsu.

The original Naruto remained behind and faced down Kakashi. Kakashi sneaked a glance towards his team and saw that they weren't faring well, especially Ten Ten. She wasn't made for a straight out Taijutsu match and with Naruto no less. Chouji was still holding his ground but he was beginning to tire out. Sai was still dodging kunais and wind techniques from his clone but sooner or later he will make a mistake. Temari was trying to keep her distance and attack her clone with her wind fan techniques and was holding her own for the moment but the question is for how long? Shikamaru actually caught his clone with his shadow but his breathing was beginning to get erratic and sweat was pouring down his face. It seems he won't hold on for long.

"It's just like the bell test, huh sensei." Smiled Naruto.

Kakashi eye-smiled, "Just like old times, huh. Let's see if the student surpassed his teacher." He took his stance and pumped chakra into his feet so that he will be able to keep up with Naruto's speed, at least he hoped so.

'I still have a minute left until my Sage Mode expires. Let's see if he can hold on until then.' Pondered Naruto in his mind.

Both fighters rushed each other, kunais drawn. Steel met steel several times, both fighters testing, feeling each other and both were grinning at each other. Naruto flung his kunai at his teacher and Kakashi did the same. The Kunais dispelled each other and fell harmlessly to the ground. The teacher and student collided with each other, a fist in Naruto's hand and a fist in Kakashi's hand. Kakashi winced at the power behind it and was grateful he pumped chakra into it otherwise this would have really hurt.

They disengaged from one another and jumped away but as soon as their feet touch the ground they were at it once again. A kick from Naruto was directed towards Kakashi's head but Kakashi's experience and his Sharingan eye allowed him to dodge the fast and powerful kick. Kakashi lashed out with a sweeping kick of his own and swept the ground from Naruto's feet, making him lose his balance. Naruto lost his momentum and tumbled forwards head first. Kakashi proceeded with a punch to Naruto's chin but Naruto would have none of grabbed Kakashi fist and used him to regain his balance. His feet firmly on the ground, he flung Kakashi over his shoulder with amazing strength.

Kakashi was flying towards the forest with amazing force but he wasn't known as a legendary ninja throughout the nations for nothing. He recovered and landed on the ground but still skidded backwards for a few meters. He righted himself and smiled towards his student, "You truly are something Naruto. Even though I pushed myself to the limits for the last 3 years you are still far and above me. I'm proud of you."

Naruto secretly beamed at the praise but he didn't show it outwards, "What use is all this power if I couldn't save my friend?" Kakashi sighed at his remark, "Naruto, I understand what you mean. I was once in the exact position as you are now. I wallowed in my grief and guilt and I pushed my friends away just like you. It wasn't until your father talked to me and beat some sense into me that I realized what I've been doing with my life."

Naruto's eyes widened and happiness reappeared in his eyes at the mention of his father. He still remembered his father's last words to him, "I believe in you, my son!" His mood always brightened when he remembered that moment.

Kakashi saw that he got his attention continued, "Since your father sadly isn't here it's up to me, as his student to show you what you've been missing." Naruto looked into his eyes and saw pride and joy. Kakashi's Sharingan spun wildly and Naruto suddenly felt a bit dizzy. He knew it was a Genjutsu the moment he looked into that cursed eye but he knew it wasn't mean to be an attack. He will wait and see what his sensei has to show him.

A moment later Kakashi was replaced by the image of his Godfather, Ero-sennin. He spoke in his cheery voice, "The way to happiness and peace isn't brute power but acceptance. If people accepted one another and acknowledge each other, there wouldn't be need for this Shinobi system. Remember Naruto, love is the key to everything." His image faded into the wind. The smiling image of his parents came next, "Naruto, you are our legacy, you are our son and we will always be proud of you, no matter what. We love you, son!" said the smiling image of his father. His mother was there crying tears of joy and smiling at him. He wanted to run and hold them tightly but he knew they were just an illusion. They disappeared a moment later and Naruto let a few tears escape his eyes.

Then came the images of all his friends he made throughout his life, even Zabuza and Haku were there. They were all waving at him and smiling at him. And then Sasuke appeared in front of his group. The image of Sasuke was the same as from that day. His mouth was bloody and he was smiling at him, "Goodbye, my brother!" he said and disappeared along with his friends. The Illusion broke and tears were now freely falling down Naruto's cheeks.

Kakashi spoke, "This Genjutsu brought forth memories and desires from your subconsciousness. I know you don't really want to do this Naruto. I can see you are struggling with yourself. Just reach out and grab our hands and we will help you."

Naruto pondered for a moment and then smiled. He wiped off the tears that now marred his cheeks and spoke, "I understand what you are trying to say sensei, I really do. But this is something I have to go through alone."

"No you don't. If you face this alone you will fail. You need to learn to rely on your friends just like they do with you. You can't do everything by yourself. You can't bring peace by yourself; you can't live by yourself and you can't go through this alone." Said Kakashi.

Naruto remembered back to the time when he spoke with Itachi during the war, "Do not forget your friends!" said the stoic Uchiha.

How could he forget? His friends are all he thinks about. They are what keep him going.

"Listen to him Naruto, we are all here for you. Let us help you." Said Ino now standing beside Kakashi while Sakura was healing the people that were just defeated by Naruto's clones and was being protected by Shino in case Naruto decides to attack their medic even though it was highly unlikely he will because of 'personal reasons'. Besides Shino's techniques are useless in this fight. His bugs are meant to suck the opponent's chakra but Naruto has chakra levels the size of a Bijuu so it's pointless to try.

Sakura joined them a moment later when she finished with taking care of others, "Naruto, please come back…"

Naruto was silent for a few moments but then raised his hand high into the sky. With a loud roar he concentrated his remaining Sage chakra and created a ball of chakra the size of a small mountain.

"I'm sorry." He whispered sadly. A moment later he unleashed the ball of chakra into the ground in front of him, creating a huge shockwave and an explosion. The Konoha Ninjas braced themselves and held their ground with chakra. Yugao helped Kurenai while the others were at a safe distance so they weren't in danger.

The cloud dust cleared after a few minutes but Naruto was no longer there. Kakashi sighed and dropped his headband over his eye. This fight was over.

"Tend to the wounded. We failed." Said Kakashi solemnly. Ino and Sakura complied, both on the verge of tears. They picked up the injured and huddled them together so that Sakura and Ino could tend to them easier. The mood was palpable, they were devastated that they failed but there was still fire behind those eyes. They will recover and try again and then again and again… They won't give up!

"Are you alright Kurenai?" said Yugao in concern for her friend. Kurenai shakily nodded. That stunt she pulled with the Genjutsu left her very weakened and her body was aching.

"I'll be fine. Go take care of the others and get yourself checked out. You are still injured." Yugao nodded and went to help Ino and Sakura but still kept an eye on her in case she collapsed…

Kakashi maneuvered through the injured and plopped himself down beside Kurenai and sighed, "How are you?" asked Kakashi.

"Been better. You?" replied Kurenai. "Same." Said Kakashi. Silence ensued afterwards while looking at Sakura and Ino plus Yugao while they tended to the wounded. Despite the situation they managed to keep their heads in the game and focus on healing the rest.

"You should get some rest. We leave in two days." Said Kakashi while standing up and leaving her company. Kurenai looked towards Kakashi who was just about to pick up Gai and carry him inside the house which remained intact despite the battle that raged a moment earlier. Sakura and Ino did the same with the others while Yugao walked towards her and offered Kurenai her hand, "Let's go Kure-chan."

Kurenai took hold of her hand and allowed herself to be pushed upwards. She leaned on Yugao's shoulder and they walked towards the house. Halfway there Kurenai spoke, "Would you mind taking me to the lake? I want to sleep there tonight. The house is too crowded already." Yugao eyed her, "Fine but I'm sleeping with you then." Kurenai nodded and smiled weakly.

Kurenai sat down near the water edge and looked onwards at the calm lake, now shallower than before because of all the water techniques used earlier. She waited for Yugao to bring some pillows and some sleeping bags. A moment later she was rejoined by Yugao and they laid out their sleeping arrangements.

"Goodnight." Said Kurenai and laid down. And so did Yugao, "Goodnight."

The night began and the horrible day ended.

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Yugao stirred in her sleep and stretched her body. She yawned and stood up. She cleared her eyes which widened a moment later. The bed next to her was empty. She panicked and rushed inside the house but Kakashi stopped her before she could barge in and disturb the people inside.

"She's gone. She went after him." Explained Kakashi. Yugao's eyes widened, "Why?"

"I don't know but if I had to guess is to confront him and help him. She knows how it is like to lose somebody close to you so she can relate to him. She left early this morning."

"Why didn't you stop her? She is still injured and was in no position to go after him. Naruto clearly doesn't want to return and what if he fights her? Then what?" yelled Yugao.

"That won't happen." Said the voice of Neji while coming out of the house.

Yugao turned her attention to him ,demanding an explanation.

"Naruto won't hurt her. He couldn't. He is still his old self. He held back against us. I saw it. Whenever he attacked us he would restrain himself at the last possible moment. If he wanted to he could have defeated us all in a matter of minutes. He will listen to Kurenai, I know he will."

Yugao balled her fists and her body shook in concern for her friend. She calmed down after a few moments, "I hope you are right."

Sakura and Ino came out looking disheveled and worn out. "Guys, what's with all the shouting? We are trying to sleep." Said Ino, yawning in the process.

"Just a disagreement, nothing to worry about." Eye-smiled Kakashi.

Sakura yawned, "Well since I'm up, I'm going to make a new batch of Soldier pills. It seems I misplaced my last batch."

Kakashi smiled again and looked towards the rising Sun, 'It's in your hands now, Kurenai.'

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Kurenai popped another Soldier pill and increased her tempo towards her location. She knew where Naruto is headed. It was obvious the moment he spoke about it. He will be there.

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The end! This way my first battle scene so please tell me what I did wrong and how I can improve them in the future. I hope you liked it and see you in a week or so!


	6. Author note!

**AUTHOR NOTE:**

**Even though I'm not part of the authors that are at risk of their stories being deleted, I still support their cause. Deleting stories just because there is some adult content inside is pointless and ridiculous. So please share this on and hopefully we'll make a difference.**

I, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that (I believe) violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in it's original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

Psudocode_Samurai

Rocketman1728

dracohalo117

VFSNAKE

Agato the Venom Host

Jay Frost

SamCrow

Blood Brandy

Dusk666

Hisea Ori

The Dark Graven

BlackRevenant

Lord Orion Salazar Black

Sakusha Saelbu

Horocrux

socras01

Kumo no Makoto

Biskoff

Korraganitar the NightShadow

NightInk

Lazruth

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FleeingReality

Harufu

Exiled crow

Slifer1988

Dee Laynter

Angeldoctor

Final Black Getsuga

ZamielRaizunto

Fenris187

blood enraged

arashiXnoXkami

tstoldt

Mystic 6 tailed Naruto

ElementalMaster16

Dark Vizard447

Darth Void Sage of the Force

Shiso no Kitsune

The Sinful

Kage640

Ihateheroes

swords of twilight

Kyuubi16

darthkamon

narutodragon

bunji the wolf

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Killjoy3000

blueexorist

White Whiskey

Ying the Nine Tail Fox

Gin of the wicked smile

tstoldt

The wolf god Fenri

JazzyJ09

sleepers4u

The Unknown 007

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MKTerra

Gunbladez19

Forgottenkami

RHatch89

SoulKingonCrack

Dreadman75

Knives91

The Lemon Sage

Dark Spidey

VioletTragedies

Eon The Cat of Shadows

kazikamikaze24

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LLOYDROCKS

demented-squirrel

swords of dawn

The Immoral Flame

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Challenger

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Dragon6

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The First Kitsukage

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Her Dark Poet

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Shadow Kurogane

Emrys2010

MysticTraveller


	7. Chapter 7

Savior chapter 6! Thanks for all the reviews and thanks for sticking with me so far, I appreciate it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto….

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"Happy birthday, Sasuke. Another year has gone by since our fateful meeting." Smiled solemnly Naruto while kneeling over Sasuke's grave. His fingers traced his name on the tombstone he carved out for him. It wasn't anything special. It had his name on it and the date of his birth and death. Above the name was the Uchiha emblem, Sasuke's pride and joy. Below the name read 'An enemy to most, a friend to few, a brother to one.' His sword was buried deep into the ground next to the grave.

"The world is a better place than last year. More people are at peace now. Soon, very soon, everything will be alright." Spoke Naruto to 'Sasuke'.

He sat down next to the grave and looked at the sky and smiled, "I still remember the first time we met. It was after your family died. You were sitting on that pier and I was walking home from my training session. When I looked at you I saw myself. Lost and alone. I wanted to talk to you that day but I couldn't. What would I say? 'Hi, I'm Naruto and I want to be your friend?' I can see how that would have gone. You would have said something like ' I don't need a dobe as a friend'." Chuckled bitterly Naruto, a small tear cascading down his cheek. Rain started falling on Naruto's body, reflecting his mood.

He remained silent for a few moments, just watching the raindrops fall on him and wash away his own tears.

"Where did we go wrong, Sasuke? What happened to us?" asked Naruto no one.

"We were happy." Images of Team Seven and the time they spent together appeared in his mind. All the laughter, arguing, fighting, smiling… "We were teammates, we were friends, we were brothers. We had everything we ever wanted. We were no longer alone." The image of Orochimaru and Tobi appeared next and unbridle hatred arose in his gut. "Why did you have to follow your Uchiha pride? Why didn't you listen to your heart and stayed with us? You knew all along what will happen the next time we fought. Why couldn't you let go of your Uchiha past and be Sasuke instead? Why did Fate choose us? Two brothers fighting one another, for what? Peace, hatred, friendship?" yelled Naruto, his anger slipping.

His breathing became erratic and his tears flowed faster, stronger, deeper. He punched the ground in front of him, cracking it slightly. He didn't care about the blood flowing out of his knuckles, the pain in his heart was much worse, "Why did we have to be born as Uchiha and Jinchuriki? WHY!" yelled Naruto into the sky, seeking answers but none came.

He slumped forward and sobbed into the ground. He banged his fist on the ground several times until he couldn't feel his hands anymore and then he banged some more. His wails could be heard in the wind, carrying it across the valley where it all began and ended.

After painful several minutes, Naruto slumped back against the cold tombstone of his friend.

"They found me, you know. Our friends found me after 3 years of running. I missed them so much. They've got stronger." He rubbed his forearms and smiled. "They came for me but I couldn't face them. I could barely look them in the eye. I was supposed to be the Child of Prophecy that was going to bring peace to the world but look at me? All depressed and weak. You are probably laughing at me right now, huh teme." Smiled Naruto.

After a few minutes of just looking at the sky crying he stood up and knelt over the tombstone. He traced the finger over Sasuke's name and sighed, "I hope you are happy wherever you are. I'll see you next year." Said Naruto, sadness rolling of his body.

At that moment he became aware of another person in the valley and the person was behind him, "I expected Kakashi to come here and not you, Kurenai. You are just full of surprises lately, huh." He stood up and turned around and faced Kurenai.

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"What do you mean she went after him?"yelled a bandaged Kiba, holding his ribs.

Yugao sighed, "Kakashi said she went after him, that's all I know."

Kiba growled, "Then what are we waiting for?" said Kiba, addressing all the rest of the now conscious Rookies.

"For you to calm down." Said Kakashi, entering the room.

Kakashi eyed everyone in the room and spoke, "Look, I know you are all injured and hurt and I won't hold it against you if you don't want to come…." His speech was interrupted by shuffling of clothes and footsteps. He looked and saw his entire team looking at him, armed and ready to go. He smiled, "Well then, lets' go." Kiba took point and he and Akamaru sniffed out Kurenai's scent. They all followed him, trusting his nose.

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Naruto turned around and faced Kurenai.

What awaited him was a slap to the face. Naruto let the slap hit him, he thought he deserved it. A small trickle of blood travelled from his mouth down his chin but that wasn't the focus of his attention. It was the fury in Kurenai's eyes. Her body was trembling, her fists turning white from all that pressure, her eyes burning with anger, "WHY?" was her question.

Naruto sighed and shook his head, "I told you already. You wouldn't understand." Kurenai shook her head frantically, "BULLSHIT! I understand perfectly. You are a coward, Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto looked away from her gaze, he knew she was right. He was a coward. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. What does it matter to you?"

Kurenai yelled, "You are not the man I thought you were. I always thought you were a strong, honest, caring person. One who would do anything for his friends and never break his promise to another. But now I see than you are nothing more than a coward, a liar and I hate liars!" An image of a smiling Asuma appeared in her head, waving at her before making his way to his team. He yelled back to her, 'I'll be back before you know it'. That was the last smile he ever gave her. He never came back. He lied!

"You are wrong. Everything I do and everything I did was for my friends." Answered Naruto, although he himself didn't believe that.

"Stop lying! If everything you did was for your friends then how come you were running away from us for the last 3 years? I'll tell you why! Because you were scared, Uzumaki Naruto. You were scared to look us into our eyes and tell us that you killed Sasuke, your 'brother'. "responded Kurenai heatedly, making Naruto's eyes widen. She hit the spot alright!

"You were afraid because you thought your friends will judge you and abandon you. Let me tell you something, you are not a God. You are not the Child of Prophecy." Said Kurenai, poking him in the chest with her finger. Naruto was wide eyed the whole time and was listening to what her heart was saying to him.

"You are not the savior of this world and you will never be. You know why?" asked Kurenai but wasn't expecting an answer, "Because you are trying to do everything by yourself. You think you are all high and mighty and think you can do everything by yourself. WRONG! You are a human just like the rest of us. You have flaws and weaknesses just like us but not like you we share our weaknesses with our friends and comrades. We rely on them and they rely on us. Together we are stronger and together we can make a change. Let me ask you something, why did you fight Sasuke alone? Why didn't you let others help you? Was it pride, honor, justice?" continued Kurenai, her words burning deep into Naruto's heart.

Naruto frowned, "Sasuke was my responsibility and my alone." Said Naruto, raising his voice but that didn't deter Kurenai one bit. "And look where that brought you! Sasuke is dead and you are alone and running away from your friends." Naruto winced, his heart in pain, "What do you know, huh! What do you know of Sasuke? You didn't see him that day, you didn't fight him that day. You didn't see what he became. I fought him alone because I couldn't risk the lives of my friends. Rest assured, if any of them came with me they would be dead right now. I couldn't live with that, I just couldn't." responded Naruto, his emotions flaring.

"Stop making decisions for other people. Your friends knew full well what they were getting into. If they died they would have died for something they believed in. They would have died to save a friend but you didn't give them that choice, did you Naruto!" yelled back Kurenai, not backing down.

"It was my sacrifice to make, not theirs." Shouted back Naruto but realized his slip up.

Kurenai put a hand to her mouth, not believing what she just heard, "You were planning on dying with him! What is wrong with you? Do you realize what you are saying?" shouted Kurenai, her breathing becoming erratic.

"You don't understand." Said Naruto sadly. That got him a punch to the face which send him sprawling to the ground, skidding a few meters before hitting Sasuke's tombstone, cracking it a bit.

"IDIOT! If you die there is no tomorrow! Did you think of the consequences of your action? I thought you wanted to prevent pain and not make it. Think about how your friends would have felt if you have died. Think about Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Sakura and the rest of the gang! You are just a coward who wanted an easy way out!" yelled Kurenai, tears now falling down her face, mixing with the rain.

Naruto remained silent and so did Kurenai who was still breathing heavily and her body was shaking and she looked like she was on her last legs. She spoke after a few moments, now a bit calmer, "Do you know why I came after you?" asked Kurenai.

Naruto looked up and gazed into her scarlet eyes, "Why?"

She smiled a weak smile and pulled something out of her pocket. It was the book and the box she found in that underwater cave, "Because I thought you were worth saving. You may not be the Child of Prophecy in my eyes but the world is a better place because of you. I came for you because I want that kind of world to remain the same, for my son's sake. "

Naruto said nothing and remained silent and looked down, away from her. Kurenai placed the box and the book in his lap and spoke, "I had hoped that they still lived on in you. But I see you ignored their wishes and did the exact opposite." Naruto's eyes widened for a moment but they quickly reverted back to the eyes full of shame and guilt. His heart felt heavy all of a sudden.

Kurenai sighed and shook her head, "I guess I was wrong. You truly are not the Naruto I know." She turned around and walked away but after a few steps she collapsed and started going into shock. Her body shook violently and her eyes rolled into the back of her head, leaving only the white pupils.

Naruto panicked and sprung on his feet, pocketed the box and the book and was by her side immediately. He shook her body, hoping to get some kind of response, "KURENAI! Wake up, come on wake up!" During his shaking, a bag fell out of her pocket and a few soldier pills came out. Naruto's eyes widened in horror, "What did you do, Kurenai? How many did you take!" He got his shit together and sprung into action.

"KURAMA!" yelled Naruto out loud, already holding Kurenai bridal-style and his feet prepped for a long run.

"**I'M ON IT!" yelled the lifelong partner of Naruto's.**

Naruto jumped out of the canyon and proceeded to run through the forest, jumping atop the branches. As soon as he hit the first branch, yellow chakra started sprouting out of his body and enveloping him in a protective blanket. On his back formed a cape with the Kanji for, "Peace" on it. As soon as Kurama worked his magic, Naruto's speed increased twenty fold. The only thing that was on his mind was Kurenai and Konoha! His other rational thoughts forgotten he sped towards Konoha, the trees in his way never stood a chance. A road of destruction followed his movement. If somebody were to be watching him from the sky, they would have seen a yellow blur destroying everything in its path. Rest assured, the land will never be the same after Naruto's done with it.

Naruto had a look of worry on his face and he was grinding his teeth together, willing his body to go faster and faster. He felt that Kurenai was still shaking heavily and so he shouted, "MORE! I NEED MORE, KURAMA!" And he got more. More chakra erupted from his body and circled around his feet. If he was nothing but a blur before, he was now invisible to the naked eye. The only evidence he was ever there was the vast destruction caused by Kurama's chakra and Naruto's speed.

His body was in pain, his feet were bleeding but his will remained strong. He failed before, he won't fail again.

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"Something's coming at us." Warned Neji, eyeing the yellow blur with his Byakugan.

Kakashi looked up ahead and his sensory skills sensed something, something he hasn't felt in a long time. His eyes widened,"EVERYONE, GET AWAY FROM HERE!" At the last possible second, they all dodged and the blur continued onwards, in the direction of Konoha.

"What was that?" grumbled Sakura, dusting herself off. She looked up and saw all the damage done by whatever that was. The forest that was there a moment before was now nothing but a pile of rocks and destroyed trees.

"That was Naruto and he's heading for Konoha. Something must have happened." Explained Kakashi, the feeling in his gut telling him it has got to do something with Kurenai.

"What about Kurenai?" asked Sakura.

"She's with him!" said Kiba, already on his feet and jumping towards Konoha. A moment later they all followed after him.

""""""""""""""""""""WITH NARUTO"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

He was running for a few minutes now, at his full speed. He was exhausted and he was starting to get dizzy, probably because of the blood loss he is experiencing right now. The tendons in his feet weren't ready for such an exertion. Despite Kurama's incredibly healing power, not even he could keep up with all the damage done to his feet. It's a miracle he is still on his feet.

He gritted his teeth and ignored the pain. He looked up ahead and saw that the forest was thinning out, indicating he was getting close to Konoha. He noticed that Kurenai stopped shaking and that her breathing was becoming shallower.

Willing his body to hold on, he pushed onward for one final push. He saw the gates ahead and when he was close to the walls, he used his last remaining power and jumped over them and towards the direction of the Hospital. He was praying that they didn't change its location.

He was freefalling towards the hospital. He clutched Kurenai closer to his chest and formed a protective barrier of chakra over her, protecting her from the impact that's about to come, just like with the trees before.

The hospital shook because of the impact. The patients were yelling obscenities and the doctors and nurses were running around frantically, trying to minimize the damage and calm the patients down.

Naruto landed, "I NEED HELP! PLEASE, HURRY!" A single doctor among the masses that were still shocked by the appearance of this stranger, responded to his plea for help and rushed towards him.

"This way." He said, leading Naruto to a surgery room. Naruto burst into the surgery room and laid Kurenai down gently on the bed. The doctor and a couple of nurses went to work and analyzed Kurenai. Naruto was breathing heavily, the chakra from Kurama receding back into the seal. His vision was becoming blurry and his knees were shaking. But he remained on his feet. He will stay by her side, just like she was for him moments before.

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"I'll be back before you know it." Smiled Asuma, kissing Kurenai on the cheek, making her blush with happiness and embarrassment.

Asuma was running towards his team, while waving back at her. She smiled to him and waved back but she couldn't get rid of that feeling in her gut that was saying something bad is going to happen soon.

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"Asuma-sensei passed away." Said Shikamaru sadly. Kurenai put a hand over her mouth, her eyes tearing up. She started sobbing, then crying and finally wailing. She dropped to the ground, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

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Kurenai shot up in her bed and immediately winced at the pain that travelled throughout her body. Her breathing was ragged and she was sweating heavily. Taking a moment to calm down, she took a few deep breaths and felt her heart rate slow down. Having done that, she looked around the room. A strong smell of medicine and anesthetics assaulted her nostrils and she knew where she was. A hospital. She sighed and tried to remember what happened after she finished talking with Naruto. All she could remember was being held by something warm and a strong gust of wind whipping at her face. She shook her head, trying not to think about Naruto and their heated argument.

She was broken out of her musings when the door to her room opened up and in came the Hokage herself. Tsunade looked surprised judging by her look but it was replaced by a light smirk, "Glad to see you up and running. You had me worried there for a moment."

Kurenai looked away from the older woman. She knew what she had done was foolish and probably a bit suicidal but at that moment she wasn't really thinking with a clear mind.

Tsunade walked to the bed and picked up the clipboard and made some corrections on it before putting it down again. She spoke, "I hope you understand the gravity of what you did. You are very lucky to be alive. A human body isn't designed to sustain so many 'powerups'. Honestly, if you were brought in a minute later there would be nothing I could have done."

Kurenai's eyes widened. She didn't know she was cutting it so close. Asuma Jr. came to her mind and she realized how foolish and stupid had she been.

Tsunade sighed when she saw her dejected look, "Look, yes, what you did was wrong but you did it for the right reason. Despite the situation I wanted to thank you. You brought Naruto back."

Kurenai turned to look the older woman into the eyes, "Where is he?"

"In the other room, tied down to a bed until I say he can leave." Smirked Tsunade, proud that she still got the power.

Kurenai had a worried look on her face, "Is he hurt? What happened?" Despite their argument she didn't want to see the young man in pain and suffering.

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"Sir, I need you to leave the room." Said a frowning nurse trying to make Naruto leave the room. But Naruto wouldn't budge. The nurse saw that he was shaking and finally noticed the pool of blood gathering around his and her feet, "Sir, you are injured. Let me take a look at you."

Naruo waved of her concern and help, "I'm fine. Focus on her." The nurse frowned and tried to inspect his wounds but was cut off from someone busting into the room. When she saw who it was she immediately gave the person a deep bow and a smile of respect, "Lady Tsunade." Naruto froze at the name. He could feel his Bachan's eyes boring a hole into his skull. Tsunade seemingly ignored his presence and walked past him and towards Kurenai and the doctors who were working on her. Naruto stared at her back and sighed. He could swore he would get punched by her.

She spoke, "What's her condition?" The lead doctor answered, "She seems to be suffering from massive chakra exhaustion and some of her chakra coils are torn to pieces. Several of her muscles are torn from overexertion and from not allowing them the time to heal properly. Her body shut down and she is currently in a coma." Tsunade nodded and ran her glowing green hands over Kurenai's body, mainly to confirm the doctor's theory. She frowned in concern after finishing her analysis, "This isn't good. Start on the Chakra Transfusion immediately. I'll take care of the coils." Said Tsunade professionally.

Naruto's breath hitched in his throat and he spoke in a shaky tone, "Is she going to be alright?

Tsunade was silent for a few moments but then spoke, "She'll be alright. What happened to her?"

Naruto suddenly felt very guilty about the whole situation. If it weren't for his childish behavior she would have never come after him and wouldn't be in this situation, "She came after me even though she was already exhausted and she took a lot of Soldier pills and…now…she's…" He looked down and cursed himself for his weakness.

"Are you hurt?" asked Tsunade, her eyes not leaving Kurenai's prone body while she was healing her coils. Naruto shook his head even though his feet were burning, "I'm fine." But Tsunade would have none of it, "Nurse, take him to Recovery Room 02. I'll be there as soon as I finish up here." The nurse bowed and proceeded to try and drag Naruto out of the room but Naruto wouldn't budge, "I'm staying right here. I'm fine!" protested Naruto. Tsunade turned her head around but still focusing on the healing, her eyes were cold as ice, "I said go to the other room. I'll be there shortly." Naruto kept his gaze upon her but relented afterwards. It wouldn't do him good for him to start a fight when Kurenai is still injured. He complied and limped out of the room with the Nurse in tow. Tsunade sighed and shook her head, a small smile graced her lips after Naruto left the room and a tear escaped her eyes, 'You're back.' Thought a happy Tsunade. She rid herself of those happy thoughts and focused on Kurenai.

Naruto was sitting on his bed, unrest evident on him. He jumped of the bed and started pacing around the room. His legs are as good as healed now. He bit his thumb and constantly looked towards the door, hoping to get some good news. The door slowly creaked open and he anxiously awaited to hear the news. In came Tsunade and she wasn't looking happy. Naruto walked towards her, "Bachan, how is she?" When he was close to her, Tsunade struck him in the face with a punch that sent him flying into the bed and turning it over. Naruto rubbed his head, he could feel the lump forming. He looked up and saw a very angry Tsunade looking over him. He gulped. Tsunade proceeded to pick him up by his collar and she poised for another punch. Naruto shut his eyes and awaited his punishment. It never came.

Instead of the punch filled with pain and internal injuries, he was pulled into a warm and loving hug. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in the arms of a very distressed and teary Tsunade. Her body was shaking while hugging him. After recovering from his momentary shock he smiled and returned the gesture while smiling widely. He missed this. He missed her.

"Idiot, what took you so long?" said Tsunade shakily.

"Ah you see, this black crossed my road and I had to take the long way round…" Chuckled Naruto in amusement.

Tsunade chuckled and squeezed him tighter. After a few moments she retracted from his hug and wiped away her tears. It's unbefitting for a Hokage to cry in front of her soldiers.

"Kurenai will be fine. We took care of her exhaustion and the torn chakra coils. She had me worried there for a moment." Smiled Tsunade.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Danger averted. Thank God!

"That's good to hear. It's all my fault she's in this situation." Said Naruto looking down.

Tsunade frowned, "What happened?"

Naruto sighed. He told her everything that happened from the fight to Kurenai following him to the Valley of the End and what she told him and how many pills she took.

"Kurenai is one lucky woman." Said Tsunade.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and Tsunade explained, "If it weren't for you and your freaky speed she would be dead right now. She was in a coma and her brain was already shutting down because not enough chakra was being fed into it. Honestly, if you came a minute or two later even I would have trouble saving her."

Naruto once again looked down at his feet, not wanting to show his guilty eyes. Tsunade saw this and decided not to bother him further about this. It was obvious he was hurting and feeling guilty about the whole situation. She switched the topic, "How are your feet?" asked Tsunade, looking down at his ankles that were previously shedding blood.

Naruto shook his head, "They are fine, completely healed. Nothing to worry about." Tsunade walked past him and picked up the bed and set it in the right position. "I'll be the judge of that. Sit!" ordered Tsunade with the voice that left no room for objections.

Naruto sighed but complied nonetheless. He lied down and let Tsunade do her work. After a minute of scanning his legs, Tsunade spoke, "You are still injured and that means you won't leave this room until I say so. Got that?" threatened Tsunade.

Naruto gulped and nodded frantically."Good." smiled Tsunade. "Are you going to continue running away from us or will you stay here for good?" asked Tsunade seriously. "Do I have a choice?" smiled sadly Naruto. "Nope!" answered Tsunade in amusement. Naruto smiled in response.

"I'll let you know if anything changes with Kurenai." Said Tsunade, walking out of the door. Naruto looked up at the ceiling and then closed his eyes. He was exhausted both psychically and mentally.

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Tsunade waved her off, "He's fine. He overexerted himself with all that running but his legs are fine now. Travelling over 250 miles in a minute and a half will do that to you. I'm just making him stay in the hospital as a sort of a punishment for making me worry all these years."

Kurenai smiled and could feel a small amount of relief coursing through her body and mind. "That's good to hear. Did Kakashi and the others come back yet?" asked Kurenai.

Tsunade nodded, "They came back in the evening the day you were brought in. You were sleeping for 2 days and a half. They came to visit you as soon as they arrived but I kicked them out and had them inspected for their own injuries. They are fine, it's their pride that's mostly hurt." Said Tsunade, alleviating Kurenai's concerns.

"MOMMY!" came a voice from the door, interrupting them. Kurenai smiled at the voice of her pride and joy. Asuma jumped into her arms and hugged her tightly. "I missed you mommy." Said a happy Asuma, not realizing the danger she was in for the last few days. "I missed you too honey. Were you a good boy when I was away?" Asuma nodded and squeezed his mommy tighter.

"Are you kidding me? The brat wouldn't shut up about you. It was mommy that and mommy there… Geez!" grinned Anko.

Kurenai smiled at her best friend, "Good to see you Anko. Thanks for watching over him."

She waved her off, "I did it for the free dango." Grinned Anko.

Kurenai chuckled at her friend but focused on her son. She ruffled his hair and put him down.

"Well, it looks like I'm no longer needed. I must return to my Hokage duties. Those old farts must be already complaining about my absence from the Tower." Scowled Tsunade while making her way out of the room and hospital.

"Thanks again for everything, Lady Tsunade." Said Kurenai. Tsunade waved and then disappeared around the corner.

"Mommy, why are you covered in bandages?" asked Asuma.

Kurenai scratched her head, "Mommy fell and hurt herself but don't worry. Tomorrow I'll be as good as new and I'll take you out for some Ice Cream. How does that sound?"

The sound of Asuma jumping up and down the room was her answer.

"Come on kid, your mommy needs to rest and it's getting late. You'll see her again tomorrow." Said Anko, giving him a stern look. Anko knew he would try to object and stay with Kurenai but it wasn't allowed.

Asuma let out an 'ooooohhh' sound but then nodded at his favorite Aunt. He ran towards his Mommy and gave her a big kiss on the cheek and then ran back towards Anko and jumped into her arms much to her displeasure, "Kid, what did I say about hugging? Mitarashi Anko doesn't hug!" growled Anko in annoyance.

Asuma just giggled and held on tighter. Kurenai laughed at her friend's predicament and waved at her son. Asuma waved back and smiled widely. Anko was grumbling something while walking out of the room. She waved Kurenai goodbye and the closed the door.

Kurenai smiled and laughed slightly before laying back down. Despite her sore body and muscles she was feeling light and happy. Seeing her son and best friend did that to her.

She looked to the left and stared out of the window. She could see the Sun which was just about to set. The sky was turning orange with a tinge of purple. It looked beautiful in Kurenai's eyes. One of the many wonders Konoha. If she concentrated hard enough she would have noticed something else. A figure sitting right outside the window who was also looking at the sky. Naruto was contemplating on whether or not he should go in and apologize for what he did. In the end he decided not to and let her have her moment of respite. She deserved it. The last few days were hectic for her.

He sighed and disappeared into the wind and back into his room. If Bachan found out he left his room there would be hell to pay.

Kurenai noticed the wind shift and opened the window next to her bed. She looked right and left and saw nothing and felt no one. She frowned. She could swear she felt something. With one last look around and seeing no one she closed the window and went back to bed.

She sighed and closed her eyes and thought about everything that happened to her in the last few days. Her mind tracked back to the argument she had with Naruto before she collapsed. Now that she is thinking clearly she realized she was harsh on him. He didn't deserve all those words. She didn't know why she blew on him like that. It's like she released all of her pent up anger and sorrow on him and she felt guilty about that. But at the same time she felt like Naruto needed to hear that, to bring him back to reality and away from his guilt of killing Sasuke. She will need to talk to him about all of this.

In the room down the hall, Naruto was thinking something along the same line. He was mulling over the words said to him by Kurenai. If he was honest with himself, Kurenai nailed it with her observation of him. He was a coward and a liar. He was running away because he thought he didn't deserve his friends. He was supposed to be their hero but he couldn't save Sasuke so he decided to travel the world to make up for his mistakes. But it wasn't all bad. By travelling the world he learned a lot and saw a lot. He saw that many people still suffered despite the peace that came by defeating Madara. His work wasn't finished yet.

He turned around and sighed. It looks like he needs to make a lot of things right again. His friends showed him that today.

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"Sir, you can't enter this room." Said a distraught Nurse standing in front of the room where Naruto is recovering.

"Move lady!" yelled Kiba but the Nurse wouldn't budge, "I'm sorry but Lady Tsunade ordered me to keep everyone from entering this room unless she authorizes it." Kiba growled but stopped when he heard a voice speak from inside the room,"It's okay. You can let them in." Kiba didn't have to be asked twice. He barged inside the room and got in Naruto's face, growling at him.

"What did you do to Kurenai?" yelled Kiba. The rest of the search team entered the room and tried to calm Kiba down. Hinata had the most success, "Kiba-kun, please calm down." She gently grab hold of his arm and pulled him away from Naruto. Kiba growled but did as Hinata said. Kakashi took charge of the situation before Kiba loses more of his pride, "What happened Naruto?"

Naruto sighed and took a seat on his bed. "In order to catch up with me, she took too many Soldier Pills and her body couldn't take it."

"Wait, so I didn't misplace my pills but Kurenai took them instead." said Sakura.

"It doesn't matter if she took the pills. It's your fault in the first place. If you didn't run away she wouldn't go after you. I still don't know why she did that and how she knew where you were." Yelled Kiba.

Naruto remained quiet and looked away from his judging gaze. He already knew all this and it was eating him up from the inside.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" yelled a very angry Tsunade. "I was just on my way home when I got a message that someone disobeyed my direct orders and entered a room they shouldn't. Care to explain that?" growled Tsunade, tapping her foot in annoyance. Most of the room gulped and sweated bullets but none more than Kiba. He was the one who started all of this.

"It's okay Bachan, I let them in." answered Naruto, trying to save their asses. "I don't care. I want everyone out of this room NOW!" threated Tsunade. In a second the room was empty except for Naruto and Tsunade.

"It looks like they hate me, huh. Can't say I blame them." Smiled sadly Naruto. Tsunade sighed and shook her head, "They don't hate you Naruto. You broke their hearts by running away from them. You should know how that feels; you experienced the same thing with Sasuke, didn't you? Give it time. They will forgive you."

Naruto nodded, "Thanks Bachan. I really missed you." Smiled Naruto. "Me too gaki. Me too." Smiled Tsunade while walking out of the room and leaving him alone.

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It will take time and effort before he regains their trust and friendship but he won't give up till he does. Because he is Uzumaki Naruto.

He fell asleep, thinking about the things to come.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Her Savior chapter 8! Thanks to those who reviewed, I appreciate it and thanks to those who are still interested in the story. I hope you enjoy this one although it might get quite boring! It's mainly about building Naruto and Kurenai's future relationship. I don't want to rush it so I'll take my time.**

**Disclaimer: Not the owner! **

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"Well, it seems you are recovering well. I see no need for you to stay in the hospital. If you want you can continue your recovery at home but no strenuous activities for at least a week." Said Tsunade, just finishing with Kurenai's medical examination.

Kurenai nodded gratefully, "That sounds lovely. When can I leave?"

"Anytime you want. I'll take care of the discharge papers as soon as I finish with my other check-ups." Answered Tsunade, filing away Kurenai's medical file.

"Is Naruto still in the hospital? I would like to talk to him. I was a bit harsh to him the other day and I want to apologize." Asked Kurenai.

Tsunade shook her head, "No, I gave him the green light this morning. He was getting restless in that room and that's never a good thing when it comes to Naruto." Smirked Tsunade.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Kurenai's face. She remembered what a restless Naruto meant, trouble. "I guess our talk will have to wait." Sighed Kurenai.

"Knowing the gaki, he's probably gorging himself on ramen right now." Smiled Tsunade.

Kurenai chuckled, "I wouldn't be surprised if that turns out to be true. He may have changed but his ramen addiction is still strong."

Tsunade nodded, "Just go easy on the kid. He's been through a lot the past few years. He doesn't need a judge right now. What he needs are friends to stand by his side and help him." With that Tsunade said her goodbye and walked out of the room. Kurenai contemplated on her words and agreed with the woman. It wouldn't do any good if she kept reminding Naruto of his mistakes. Right now, he needs people who can show him what is truly important.

She was brought of her musing by her little ball of energy, "Mommy!" yelled Asuma Jr, jumping into the waiting arms of his mother. Anko was trailing closely behind, grumbling about hyperactive kids who don't know when to shut up.

"He's all yours!" said Anko, sounding exhausted and she probably was. Taking care of a 3 year old isn't a walk in the park.

"Thanks Anko. I owe you one." Smiled Kurenai appreciatively. "Yeah, yeah. Remember that the next time you go past a dango stand." Smirked Anko.

Kurenai laughed slightly and then returned her attention back at the boy hugging her. She ruffled his hair and asked, "Ready to go? I did promise you some Ice cream." Smiled Kurenai motherly.

Asuma's eye lit up with joy and nodded excitedly. Kurenai chuckled and put him on the floor while she went to the bathroom to change her clothes. A few minutes later she came out dressed in her normal attire which she got from Anko the day before. After that Asuma grabbed his mom's hand and his aunt's hand and led them towards his favorite Ice cream stand.

The trio were walking slowly towards their destination with Kurenai smiling down at her exuberant son who was humming to himself. Anko was a little bit uncomfortable with holding hands with a kid in public and quite frankly she was a bit embarrassed by the whole situation. If she saw anyone who looked at her funnily she would promptly shut them up by giving them the Evil Look.

They arrived at the ice cream vendor and Asuma immediately voiced his choice of ice cream, "Vanilla and Chocolate, please." Said Asuma happily. "Coming right up. What about you two ladies?" asked politely the middle aged owner.

"Strawberry for me." Said Kurenai with a smile. "Do you have a dango flavor?" asked Anko. Kurenai shook her head at her friend's addiction to ramen. The owner of the stand looked at her funnily, "Uhm, no sorry." Anko deflated at the news, "Fine, then give me a yogurt flavored one." The man nodded and prepared their orders.

A minute later they were all happily licking their choice of ice cream. "Come again!" said the owner. The trio waved him goodbye and continued their walk down the street. Anko and Kurenai chatted among themselves with Kurenai telling her what happened to her the past few days and Anko listening intently to her. Meanwhile the ice cream was keeping Asuma occupied.

"So that's what happened. Man, you guys got your ass kicked by one man." Teased Anko playfully.

"Hey, it wasn't just any man. This is Naruto we are talking about. I wouldn't be surprised if he would be able to defeat an entire village by himself." Defended Kurenai.

"Still, you guys suck." Smirked Anko.

Kurenai stuck out her tongue at her best friend. Like she could do any better! It took 14 people to just make him sweat and even then he was holding back, by a lot.

When they turned a corner they came across a huge crowd people who were watching a commotion happening in the street. Asuma, the ever curious young boy insisted on checking out what was going on. Kurenai saw no harm in checking out what was happening. The trio made their way towards the crowd. They could pick up a few whispers among the people. They heard something like, "fighting", "Hero" and things like that. That got their attention.

They reached the edge of the crowd. Kurenai picked up her son and then proceeded to make her way through the crowd with Anko following behind her. They could make out sounds of fighting and an occasional tremor shook the earth. When they finally pushed their way through the crowd, they came across a slightly shocking and sad scene. There he was, the Hero of Konoha, getting pummeled into the ground by none other than the Inuzuka Heir, Kiba. Kiba was panting but other than that he looked unharmed. Naruto, on the other hand was looking worse for wear. His clothes were all dirty and in some places torn. There was a small line of blood flowing down his forehead, indicating that he was injured somewhere on his head.

Kiba charged at his onetime comrade and delivered a punishing blow to his stomach. Naruto just stood there with an impassive look on his face and waited for the attack to hit. The punch knocked the air out of his lungs and he dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach. Kiba didn't stop there. He delivered a bone crushing kick to Naruto's chin which sent Naruto flying into a nearby store. Naruto was lying among the rubble, seemingly unmoving. But if someone looked closely he would see a very sad look on his face. He slowly stood up and removed the rubble off him. He walked back into the street and stood in front of Kiba, awaiting the next punch or kick from him. Kiba growled at him and raised his hand to punch him once again but he was stopped. Kurenai couldn't stand this any longer. She handed Asuma to Anko and intervened in this pointless fight.

She walked between the two fighters and faced Kiba, "That's enough Kiba. What's gotten into you?"

Kiba calmed a bit when he saw his sensei but he still gritted his teeth, "Please, move away Kurenai-sensei. This is between me and him."

Kurenai wouldn't back down, "Enough Kiba! Fighting among comrades is inexcusable. I'm sure Hokage-sama wouldn't condone this sort of behavior."

Kiba scoffed, "He gave up the right to be our comrade when he lied to us and hurt you, Kurenai-sensei." Kurenai wanted to say something but was interrupted by the arrival of an ANBU team.

"What is going on here?" asked the leader of the unit. Kiba growled at the interruption, "Nothing at all, ANBU-sama. I was just leaving." The leader turned to Naruto, "Would you like to add anything Uzumaki-sama?" Naruto shook his head, his emotionless façade still on. "Very well." He turned to the crowd, "Everyone, disperse. The show is over." The crowd murmured between each other and moments later the street returned to normal.

The leader turned back towards Kiba and Naruto, "I will have to make a report about this. Expect a sumnmon from the Hokage-sama in the next few hours." With that the ANBU unit disappeared from their sight.

Kiba growled once more at Naruto but then turned around and walked away. Kurenai sighed at her student's fiery temper. He may have matured but his fiery personality didn't subside one bit. She turned around and faced Naruto who had seen better days. He had a bloody lip and a gash on his forehead, "Are you okay?" asked Kurenai in concern.

"I'll be fine." Said Naruto dismissively. He turned around and promptly disappeared into the wind. Kurenai frowned at his emotionless response. It wasn't like Naruto to be like that. She put Naruto out of her mind and turned to her son and Anko who were waiting patiently for her. She walked towards them and relieved Anko of Asuma. Asuma was quick to show his interest in the event, "Mommy, who was that man and why was he bleeding?"

"That was Uzumaki Naruto, a friend of your mommy. He was bleeding because he got into a fight with Kiba. But don't worry everything is okay now." Explained Kurenai.

"He looked sad." Said Asuma and Kurenai had to agree with her son's observation. He did look sad, more than a few days before. She sighed internally, she wasn't looking forward to that talk between them.

"The brat let the Dog-boy hit him. He didn't even make a move to defend himself. The Inuzuka brat is lucky to be still standing." Said Anko with a frown. She was hoping to see the Blonde gaki in action. She heard so many wonderful things from both Kurenai and Kakashi about him and now she wants to see if the rumors are true.

"He's probably thinking he deserves it, that's why he didn't fight back. It's a good thing he didn't. There's been enough fighting between friends to last me a life time." Said Kurenai.

"Still, I wonder what caused this little incident." Pondered Anko.

"I can tell you if you want." Said a feminine voice from the left. The trio turned and saw the young girl who works at Naruto's favorite ramen stand which just happens to be on the same street.

"Ayame, right?" said Kurenai politely while walking towards her. Ayame smiled and nodded, happy that a famous person like her remembers her name.

"So what happened?" asked Anko bluntly.

Ayame sighed and told them what happened.

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Naruto was walking down the street. He was just discharged by his Grandma from the hospital and to be frank it felt good to be out of that hell-hole. Never did like the hospital!

A lot of things were on his minds, mainly how to regain the friendships that he lost because of his inability to face them and tell them the truth. He knew it won't be easy and it will involve a lot of pain and tears but he will persevere. He still hasn't seen his friends ever since that incident in the hospital. He felt it was best they stay away from each other , at least for the time being.

But first things first he wants to feed his growling stomach. Hospital food isn't exactly his choice of food. 'Ramen it its!' thought Naruto happily.

While walking down the street towards his favorite Ramen stand and two of the most precious people in his life, he could see and hear people whispering among each other. They had surprised looks on their faces, probably because they were surprised. He was missing for 3 years. He could also see some happy faces, smiles directed towards him. He smiled back at them and offered them a small wave. The girls were another story altogether. Whenever he smiled friendly at a woman or a young girl they would either blush or giggle or both. He wasn't exactly used to such behavior from women so he didn't really know what to do. He smiled awkwardly back at them and continued on his way. He rounded a corner and spotted his favorite stand. He quickened his pace and a few seconds later he was in front of the flaps of the stand. He took a deep breath and entered.

"Welcome to…" said a cheery voice from the counter but her breath hitched when she spotted someone she really didn't expect. "Naruto…?" said Ayame carefully, not believing her eyes.

Naruto gave her a small smile and nodded. That set off a chain of events. First a loud squeal, "NARUTO!" and secondly, Ayame jumped over the counter with the elegance of a seasoned shinobi. She tackled Naruto to the ground and hugged him tightly. Naruto laughed all the way and returned the gesture. "Miss me?" chuckled Naruto. Ayame laughed with him and nodded into his chest. They both stood up and Naruto dusted himself off. NAruto looked up and saw that Ayame's mood took a drastic turn and for the worse. Her eyes darkened and the usually not dangerous weapon in her hand suddenly felt very threatening. "You have a lot of explaining to do mister!" Threatened Ayame. Naruto gulped and laughed nervously while on the inside he was screaming for help.

A moment later old man Teuchi came from the kitchen and came upon an interesting sight. His beautiful daughter was currently in the process of beating up his favorite customer with a soup ladle. His mind didn't really process at first that his favorite customer was back after 3 years but rather just enjoyed the moment. While the old man was currently enjoying himself, Naruto was doing everything he could to calm down his surrogate sister but it wasn't working.

"Why didn't you write to us to tell us you are okay?" demanded Ayame while swinging her ladle. "We were so worried about you and you didn't have the decency to let us know you are okay." Said Ayame. She took another swing but Naruto dodged it skillfully. If someone were to be looking into the stand they would have thought that two siblings were in an argument.

"Settle down kids. I'm sure Naruto has a good explanation why he didn't stay in contact." Said Teuchi, trying to ease the tension.

Ayame growled but relented in her attack. Naruto let out a breath of relief and thanked internally for the old man's intervention. He looked towards his savior and saw that he too was waiting for an explanation. Naruto sighed and told them everything. About Sasuke, his travels, his feelings, his fears, everything. Both Ayame and Teuchi felt bad for him. He always has to carry such a burden on his shoulders. It's not fair!

"That's basically it. I'm truly sorry for not telling you I'm okay. I hope you can forgive me." Said Naruto, full of remorse and his head bowed down as a sign of apology. He got his answer when the sweet scent of a freshly made bowl of ramen attacked his nostrils. He looked up and saw two smiling faces, telling him everything was okay.

His face lit up in joy and he dug in with vigor. His eyes lit up when his taste buds came in contact with the Ramen of Gods aka. Teuchi's ramen. He missed this, he missed them.

Bowl after bowl, Naruto tried to make up for lost time. During his feast, the trio chatted away. They talked about his absence, what happened in Konoha, some juicy gossip and things like that. A genuine smile could be seen on Naruto's face after a long time. He was happy.

His smile faded when he sensed someone approaching the stand. He knew who it was. He turned towards Ayame and Teuchi and spoke in a serious tone, "Whatever happens, don't interfere." With that he stood up and walked outside and turned towards the direction where he sensed the new arrival. Both Ayame and Teuchi dropped whatever it was they were currently doing and walked to the entrance and listened to the conversation between Naruto and the now identified Kiba.

"Can I help you Kiba?" said Naruto calmly.

Kiba growled, his eyes full of anger and fury, "You think you can just walk back into our lives, pretending nothing happened? Hurting me I could let it slide but hurting Hinata and Kurenai-sensei, that is inexcusable. Kurenai-sensei nearly died because of you! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Naruto remained stoic but he was beating himself up on the inside, "I'm sorry." Was his only response but a genuine one at that. Too bad it wasn't good enough for Kiba.

"Sorry isn't good enough!" yelled Kiba.

"Then take your anger on me." Proposed Naruto, spreading his arms, giving him a target to vent his anger on.

Kiba clenched his fist, his rational thinking was replaced by sheer anger, "Gladly!" He attacked.

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"After that, Naruto let Kiba beat him up." Finished Ayame, sadness etched all over her face.

Kurenai sighed, "They aren't to blame. They both know what they did was wrong. Right now, they are hurting and aren't thinking straight. Don't worry, I'll talk to them."

Ayame nodded gratefully and said her goodbye and walked back to the stand. Kurenai turned towards Anko, "Still up for dango? I need some down-time. I'm exhausted."

Anko grinned, " You kidding?"

Kurenai smiled and let Anko's stomach lead the way.

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"Two stores destroyed, 4 stands demolished, disturbing public peace, fighting between comrades… What were you two thinking?" yelled an infuriated Tsunade.

Kiba turned away from her calculating gaze, ashamed of his actions but he still thought Naruto deserved it. Naruto meanwhile stood tall and didn't shy away from her gaze, "I take full responsibility. It was me who started the fight." Declared Naruto, surprising Kiba but not Tsunade. Kiba looked at him and wanted to protest to Tsunade that he started everything but a cold look from Naruto shut him up.

Tsunade sighed, "If that's how it is then so be it. Naruto, you have to pay for the damage you two caused." Naruto nodded. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you what will happen if this happens again, right?" said Tsunade threateningly. The both nodded, full aware that they were getting off easy.

"Dismissed. Naruto stay for a moment. I need to talk to you about something." Said Tsunade.

Kiba bowed and made his way out of the room but not before sneaking a glance towards Naruto. Different things were swimming inside Kiba's head. One of them was still anger but now it was also guilt and sorrow. Despite everything, Naruto was still a good friend to him and he was an idiot to act like he did. He shook his head and left the room.

As soon as Kiba left the room, Naruto visibly relaxed and his expression softened. He turned towards his last family and spoke, "Thanks for that. It truly wasn't his fault. He had every right to vent his anger on me."

She waved him of, "Yeah, yeah. I just hope there won't be more of these friendly disputes! Now sit down." Naruto complied and sat down on the chair in front of her desk.

Tsunade's voice turned a bit serious, " The reason I had you stay here is because the Council wants to speak to you." Naruto didn't seem surprised by that, "I figured as much. I was gone for 3 years and I'm sure they have questions."

"I'm sure they have more than questions. Naruto, you were gone for 3 years without a reasonable cause. If it were anyone else they would be branded traitors and hunted down. I'm sure you know what this means." Finished Tsunade.

Naruto nodded, "I'm aware Baa-chan. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Smiled Naruto.

Tsunade found that his smile is still infectious, "Good. The meeting starts in an hour. Until then you are free to do whatever you want."

Naruto stood up, "See you in an hour Baa-chan." He waved and disappeared into the wind.

"Damn brat." Muttered Tsunade with a smile.

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"Ahhhh…" was the satisfied voice coming from Anko. She just finished her 15 dumplings of her favorite dango and the best thing about this that it was freeeee. God, how she loves eating free dango.

While Anko was satisfied, Kurenai was cursing her and her bottomless pit she calls her stomach. How can she eat so much and not explode, she'll never know!

Asuma was unaware of her mother's thoughts rather he too was content. He had one dumpling and that's all he needed.

"That was delicious. Thanks Kure-chan." Grinned Anko, pleased with herself for making Kurenai pay for the whole thing. She would have watched the little gaki for free but free dango was much better in her opinion.

Kurenai took out her wallet and saddened when she saw how much of a punishment it's going to take, "Don't mention it…"

Asuma interrupted, "Mommy, can we go visit Tou-san?."

Kurenai offered him a small smile, "Sure honey." Kurenai told Asuma Jr. all about his father a couple of months ago. Some might say that's too fast, that he is still too young to hear such things but Kurenai thought differently. When she first told him why he has no father, he cried the whole night and Kurenai regretted telling him so soon. But the next day, she was assaulted by numerous questions about Asuma Senior and the best of all he looked so happy when they talked about him. Her heart warmed when he said that he wants to be just like his father, a strong ninja and a good man.

Anko also had a small smile on her face which is a very rare sight. She felt bad for the kid. She knew what it was like to have no father or mother and knew the pain was excruciating. She applauded the kid's resilience. He was strong in her eyes.

Kurenai turned towards Anko, "Would you like to join us, Anko?" asked Kurenai.

"No, I can't. I need to go back to the T&I. Ibiki has new toys for me. Maybe some other time." Grinned Anko devilishly.

Kurenai laughed at Anko's sadistic behavior. At first when she talked about her work she always shuddered or paled but now after so many years she is used to it.

"That's okay. Thanks again for everything Anko. I don't know what I would do without you." Smiled Kurenai gratefully. Anko waved her off. The waiter came with the bill and Kurenai payed for it like she said she would.

"Well then, I'll see you later Anko." Smiled Kurenai. Asuma rushed to her favorite Aunt's side and looked at her with his gorgeous and irresistible puppy eyes. Anko rolled her eyes at the kid. She knew what he wanted. It was always the same. Anko looked around the Dango Shack and saw that nobody was looking at them. Satisfied, she dropped to Asuma's level and Asuma immediately gave her a big hug. Asuma giggled while Anko had a playful frown on her face that was bordering on a smile. Asuma has that effect on her.

"Now scram!" said Anko playfully. Asuma laughed and ran back to his mother's side and took her hand in his. They both waved at Anko and left the restaurant. Anko stayed for a while, she was meeting someone here and then she will leave for work.

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"It's been a while since I last came here, Mother, Father. A lot has happened." Said Naruto with a small sad smile on his face. He laid down a bouquet of flowers next to their graves. A small gesture to show he misses them dearly.

"We won the war. Peace is finally here. I hope it lasts." He traced the names of his parents, "I screwed up big time with my friends. I pushed them away and now I don't know what to do to fix my mistakes. I wish you and Ero-sennin were here to help me." Said Naruto, a small tear dropping on the ground.

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"Hey Tou-san, I'm back and Mommy is here too." Said Asuma Jr. happily, Kurenai right behind him. "I've been really good lately and Mommy took me out for Ice cream today." Smiled Asuma. Kurenai was letting Asuma 'speak' to his father, she'll say a small prayer after he finishes. A few minutes passed and Asuma Jr. told his father what happened to him since the last time he visited. After he finished he went to stand by his mother's side.

Kurenai took that as a sign that he was finished. She laid down the flowers she brought and she lit up a small candle. She closed her eyes and prayed for Asuma's soul.

Meanwhile Asuma Jr. was looking around the cemetery, being the ever nosy kid. He spotted a few people visiting their family's grave but no one really stood out. That is until he spotted a lone man kneeling before a grave just little to the left. It was the man's outfit that interested Asuma Jr. It screamed Ninja! And that was a good enough of an excuse to do some little research. While Kurenai was still praying, Asuma trudged off towards the man who was oblivious that someone was approaching him.

Asuma walked towards the man and pulled on his sleeve a couple of times. The man reacted and turned towards the young boy.

Naruto turned and saw a young boy staring at him with curious eyes, "Yes?" asked Naruto. Asuma rushed with the question that was bugging him, "Are you a ninja?" A small smile formed on Naruto's face at the young boy's excitement. It reminded him of his younger days.

"Yes I am." Smiled Naruto. Stars lit up in Asuma's eyes, "Sugoi! My father was also a ninja and a hero too. I'm going to be just like him!" said Asuma, excitement oozing off his words.

Naruto chuckled, "I'm sure you'll be a fine ninja." Said Naruto ruffling the kid's hair much to his displeasure. He didn't like to be treated as a kid since he's going to become the greatest ninja that has ever walked this earth.

"Just you wait, one day I'll become a hero just like my father!" said Asuma proudly and with conviction in his eyes that really impressed Naruto. It's not every day you see such determination in a kid his age. "Do you know what makes a great ninja?" asked Naruto, surprising the young Asuma with the question. He answered it like any child would, "Of course, to have the strongest of those flashy techniques."

Naruto laughed slightly, this kid really reminded him of his younger self, "Having flashy techniques is all good and well but that is not what makes someone a great ninja." At this point Asuma was all ears. "It's having the determination to never give up and to protect your friends and family with everything you got. That is what makes someone great!" said Naruto.

Fire welled in Asuma's eyes and he pumped his fist, "I will protect my friends and my family and I will become the greatest, just you wait!"

Naruto smiled once more, "Kid, when you are older look me up! I'll teach you a few things about being a ninja. Until then work hard and protect your friends. I'm looking forward to seeing how you grow."

"I will! Believe it!" said Asuma excitedly, pumping his fist into the air. Naruto grinned at the catchphrase he added in the end even though it was pure coincidence. "What's your name kid?" Asuma was about to respond when someone yelled…. "Asuma! There you are! Don't scare me like that!" yelled Kurenai, running to her son's side. When she got closer she saw who her son was talking to and was surprised to see him above all people… "Oh, it's you Naruto."

Naruto's smile faltered and guilt reappeared in his eyes. He stood up, "Hello Kurenai. How you've been?"

"Not too bad. Just visiting Asuma's grave with my son." Smiled Kurenai gently at her son. Naruto smiled and bent down, "So your name is Asuma, huh? Uzumaki Naruto, pleasure to meet you." Said Naruto, extending his hand which Asuma quickly grabbed and shook it, "Sarutobi Yuhi Asuma!" responded Asuma.

Naruto chuckled and stood up, "Fine young man you have there." Kurenai nodded and ruffled her son's hair which made Asuma pout and blush from embarrassment. Naruto chuckled at his discomfort.

Kurenai turned to the two graves Naruto was visiting, "Visiting your parents?" asked Kurenai politely. Naruto nodded solemnly, "Yeah, it's been a while since I've been here."

Kurenai noticed the distraught look on his face and thought this was as good as time as any to apologize, "Look Naruto, I was harsh on you the other day. I didn't mean…" She was interrupted when Naruto held out his hand, "It's okay. I deserved it. You were right though, about everything. I am a failure."

Kurenai interjected, "No, you are not! Look, I was angry at you and at myself and I didn't really mean what I said the other day. You are definitely their son and they would be proud of you."

A small smile appeared on Naruto's face, "Thanks, Kurenai."

"Don't get too cocky. I still think you are a coward and that won't change anytime soon." Said Kurenai sternly.

Naruto laughed slightly, "Then I'll have to work harder to prove that I'm not, don't you think so?"

Kurenai smiled, 'There's the Naruto I know!' thought Kurenai. "Good luck with that, you are going to need it."

Naruto grinned like in the good old days, "Believe it!" which earned him another smile from Kurenai and admiration from Asuma.

Naruto saw that his hour was almost up and decided to say farewell, "It's time for me to go. It's been a pleasure Kurenai." Said Naruto with a smile. Kurenai nodded. Naruto bent down to Asuma's level, "Remember what I told you. Work hard and you will be the greatest." Asuma nodded with determination. Kurenai noticed this and was a bit surprised how fast Naruto and Asuma made a connection. They've only known each other for a few minutes but Naruto already made a huge impact on her son. She smiled gently at the two.

Naruto ruffled his future apprentice's hair and stood up. With a wave he disappeared into the wind, smiling all the way. This just made his day.

Asuma was all starry-eyed when he saw his new idol disappear like he was never there. He touched the space where Naruto previously stood with his hand to see if it was a magic trick but he touched nothing but air. He rounded on his mother, "Mommy, how did he do that?" his voice full of excitement.

Kurenai laughed, "Honey, that was a ninja technique. Cool, huh?" "Uh,huh!" nodded Asuma excitedly. "Can you teach me that?" came the question any kid would ask.

Kurenai chuckled and shook her head, "Not today. You are still too young to become a ninja. I promise when you are old enough I'll teach you anything you want."

"Yatta! I've got two teachers now! I'm awesome!" screamed Asuma with delight, forgetting that he is in a cemetery where people shouldn't shout. Kurenai tried to calm her son down and succeeded after a few moments. She asked him, "What do you mean 'two teachers'? Who is the other one?"

"Naruto said he will teach me once I'm older. Isn't that great Mom?" smiled Asuma widely.

Kurenai had a loving smile on her face, "Yes it is Honey. Yes it is." She looked towards the direction Naruto left and smiled.

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"Ready, gaki?" asked Tsunade, standing in front of the Council Chamber. Naruto nodded, ready for whatever comes his way. Kakashi who was asked to participate in the meeting because he was the leader in the mission for Naruto's recovery, was standing behind him. He put a hand on his shoulder and gave Naruto an encouraging look for which Naruto was very grateful. Tsunade turned around, opened the door and walked in.

Immediately all the murmurs quieted down and the councilors took their places. Tsunade took the seat that was reserved for Hokage while Kakashi was standing on her left. Naruto walked slowly to the center of the room while eyeing all the people in the room. There were some familiar faces like the Clan Heads and some Civilian councilors but other than that they were strangers to him.

He stopped in the center of the room and waited for the meeting to start. Tsunade stood up and announced the start of the meeting, "You all know why we are here so let us skip the pleasantries. Let us begin!" she sat down again and Koharu stood up, "Uzumaki Naruto, we summoned you here today so that you could explain your disappearance three years ago. Depending on your answer we will choose a suitable punishment. The floor is yours." With that she sat down again.

Naruto took a deep breath to steel himself, "I'll get right down to the point. The reason I disappeared is because of personal reasons I won't reveal. All you need to know is that I travelled the world and helped whoever needed my help. We won the war and peace was achieved but people still suffered and I had hoped to ease that suffering. That is all." Finished Naruto, making it short and to the point.

Whispers spread through the room but they were quickly silenced by Tsunade. Tsunade motioned for the proceedings to continue.

Homura spoke, " Any particular reason why you didn't deem it important for Konoha to know of this journey of yours?"

Naruto turned towards the elder, "As I said, the primary reason for my journey was personal and I do not wish to discuss it in a room full of strangers. You can try and force me but it won't do any good. I know what I did was wrong and against Konoha rules and I'm willing to accept any punishment you deem suitable."

"It seems that is as much as we are going to get out of you. Very well, let's move on to the next charge, attacking Konoha Shinobi. We read Kakashi's report where it said that you engaged in a fight with our Shinobi. As you know that is considered an act of treason and it is punishable by life in prison or death. What do you have to say for yourself?" asked Koharu. Tsunade was a bit nervous at this point.

Naruto was about to speak when Kakashi raised his hand, motioning to speak, "May I?" asked Kakashi seriously.

Tsunade nodded and Kakashi continued, " I think this particular information should be brought to light before any judgment is made. The only reason Naruto attacked us is because we attacked him first. He had no intention of fighting us or hurting us for that matter. Throughout the fight he only defended and attacked to stun and not kill. If he wanted to he could have killed us all in a matter of minutes but he didn't. So we shouldn't treat him as a criminal rather as a misunderstood Shinobi of Konoha." Said Kakashi, defending Naruto which earned him some points with Naruto and Tsunade.

"That is all good and well but the fact that he fought and injured several Konoha Shinobi still remains. He could have surrendered and returned to Konoha peacefully but he chose to fight. Now, do you have anything to say for yourself Uzumaki-sama?" said Koharu.

"I don't. Everything you said is true. I did fight and injure several Konoha shinobis, all of them are also my friends. I have no excuse for that. Do what you want with me." Finished Naruto.

Koharu nodded and looked towards Tsunade who also nodded at her, although a bit reluctantly.

"In light of everything, the punishment of death is out of the question. You may have broken several of Konoha laws but you returned and you are still the symbol of this village and the symbol of peace throughout the Nation. Death was never an option. However, a punishment must be chosen. I propose the sealing of your chakra coils for a period of 6 months. While a harsh judgment for someone of your stature and reputation it is according to Konoha laws." Declared Koharu, shocking most of the occupants of the room. Tsunade openly glared at the old hag. How dare she! Even Kakashi had a look of disdain on his face. While it is true that such a punishment is appropriate but this is Naruto they were talking about. He saved this village countless times and saved the whole world for Christ sakes! Doesn't that mean anything!

Naruto remained calm but someone inside of him wasn't. A loud growl could be heard echoing throughout Naruto's mind. Naruto inwardly smirked at his protective tenant and thanked him.

He spoke, "Uhm, I don't think that is such a good idea. While I agree with the punishment my partner doesn't. He kinda doesn't like the word Sealing or anything related to that." Said Naruto, scratching the back of his head, smiling awkwardly.

Tsunde smirked and so did Kakashi. Thank God for Kyuubi!

"Who cares what that monster says! I thought you were in control of him!" yelled a random civilian councilor. A moment later the councilor nearly shit his pants.

Naruto turned his attention to this dumb councilor and gave him a cold look that would freeze Hell itself, "Watch you words councilor. Kyuubi doesn't take lightly to insults. Remember this because I won't say this again, I am not in control of Kyuubi and HE is not in control of me. We are partners and we work together and you will show him the respect he deserves. If it weren't for him this entire world would be burning right now. Next time you deem worthy to open your mouth, think carefully what you say."

The councilor gulped and nodded in agreement. A moment later the cold look disappeared and Naruto smiled at the man.

Koharu cleared her throat in order to regain some semblance of order in the room, "Is there no way to make this work?"

Naruto scratched his head once more, "I'm afraid not. You can try forcefully but he will just push his chakra into my coils and that will be the end of that Sealing process."

It was Koharu who sighed this time. This was getting tiresome, "Despite being an appropriate punishment, Sealing is out. Does anybody have any other proposals?"

It was Shikaku the Wise who spoke, "In light of everything he had done for this country and the world I think a six months probation is punishment enough. After that if there is anyone who still doubts his loyalty then further trials could be arranged."

Nods of agreement could be seen in the room and Tsunade decided to end it on this note," Seeing as pretty much everyone agrees on this, all we need to is make it formal. All in favor of Shikaku's proposal raise your hands." Three quarters of the councilors raised their hands. "All against?" A couple of hands shot up but the vote has already been decided, "Alright! Uzumaki Naruto, I hereby sentence you to six months probation. During that time you are not permitted to practice the Shinobi arts except if I allow it in extreme emergencies. Understood?"

Naruto nodded. Tsunade finished, "Very well. This meeting is adjourned. Dismissed!"

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"Do you think this will work? He did get smarter and stronger." Said Ten Ten with concern. "It will work. Trust me." Said Ino confidently. "Who will spring the trap?" asked Sakura.

"I know the perfect person for the job." Smiled Ino deviously, making Shikamaru sigh at her and mutter 'troublesome' which got him a bonk on the head by the Lady of the Desert.

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"Why did Bachan ask you to escort me to my meeting? Why didn't she send one of her messengers?" asked Naruto, confused by where his companion was taking him.

"Just relax already. I happened to be nearby and she asked me to inform you of your meeting and escort you to where she is. She said it was urgent though." Explained Kurenai, for the tenth time.

Naruto sighed, "Fine! I wish I knew what this was all about though."

Minutes later they arrived to a house in a secluded area of Konoha. The house wasn't anything special. It was a two-story home with a balcony on the second floor, facing the Hokage Mountain. It wasn't run-down or anything, it looked homey and cozy but it wasn't a house that really stood out. It isn't like the Hyuuga or the Uchiha compound. But that doesn't make it worthless. It's perfect for a family to live in peace and raise a child or two. There was also a pathway to the left that led to the back of the house and most likely to a backyard.

"We're here." Announced Kurenai, walking to the entrance. Naruto looked at her and the house suspiciously. Something didn't feel right. He could sense numerous figures in the house which didn't make any sense to him. If he was having a meeting with Grandma then why are so many people in there. It couldn't be the ANBU because they didn't bother to hide their presence. He remained alert but didn't show it on the outside. He followed Kurenai to the entrance.

Kurenai smirked internally. This is going to be great!

She grabbed the door-handle and twisted it. The door opened and she stepped inside. Naruto followed shortly after but his body was ready for anything.

When he stepped inside he encountered nothing but darkness. Even Kurenai disappeared, "Kurenai, where did you go? Is this some kind of joke?" He got no answer. He could feel several people around him, some felt really familiar too. But the weird thing was that they didn't feel aggressive to him. He decided to just wait and see what happens. What's the worst that could happen, right?

Then a light was switched on. And under the spotlight, Naruto could see his teammate or ex-teammate, Haruno Sakura. Her face was emotionless and her eyes that were usually full of life were now barren and lifeless. Naruto stood there and watched her. He had no idea what was going on inside of her head right now and truthfully he really didn't want to know.

Then another light switched on, Ten Ten appeared little bit to the left and a little bit backwards from Sakura. Then another light, Neji on Ten Ten's right. Then Lee, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Gai, Iruka and finally Kakashi. On the left of TenTen appeared Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Sai, Tsunade, Shizune, Anko and finally Kurenai. All of their faces betrayed nothing. They all just stared at him which really freaked Naruto out!

When all of the lights shone, Sakura started to walk forward towards Naruto. Naruto eyed her every movement. It's not because he felt threatened, it's because he was in the unknown which scared him a little.

When she was right in front of him, their eyes met. Naruto had to admit, she only got more beautiful over the years.

But it was something in her eyes that really scared Naruto. It was the same look, annoying look she would get when he did something stupid. Which meant that he will be in lot of pain in a few moments. And he was right.

Sakura raised her fist and poised it for a strike. 'I knew it!' gulped Naruto internally. He closed his eyes and let Nature take its course. A second later it happened.

But not what he thought would happen. Instead of a bone-crunching punch he got something better, something warmer.

A pair of soft, gentle arms embraced him. He was flabbergasted! He opened his eyes and saw his friends and family all smiling at him, some crying tears of joy. He heard Sakura whisper in his ear, "Welcome back. We missed you."

She pulled back from the embrace and let the Shout of Joy begin. All his friends made their way forwards, some a bit slower than others, *cough* cough* Shikamaru! They shouted 'Welcome back, baka!' and 'Took you long enough!' and statements like that. Naruto was shocked to his core. He didn't know what to say. Without him realizing it, tears fell down his face.

After a moment of thinking this was all a dream, he brought forth his foxy grin. He wiped the tears with his arm and chuckled, "I love you guys. I don't know what I did to deserve you."

"What, did you doubt us? We could never stay mad at you. Well, except Kiba that is." Grinned Ino.

"Oi!" came the indignant response from Kiba which was ignored by his fellow peers.

Naruto looked down shook his head at her statement, "Honestly, I was expecting a cold shoulder for at least a few months if not more. God knows I deserve it."

He looked up surprised when he felt several hands on his shoulder. He saw that each and every one of his friends had a hand on his shoulder and were smiling at him.

No words were needed, their smile conveyed everything. He smiled his grin of happiness, pushing his grief, sorrow and regret back into the deepest parts of his soul.

His eyes scanned all of his friends when they settled on Kibas. His did as well. The rest of the gang all waited to see what will happen. It was Kiba who spoke first, "Look Naruto, I, uh…" stammered Kiba, lost at words. Naruto was there to speak the words for him.

Naruto raised his hand and offered it to Kiba as a sign of friendship, his radiant smile never leaving his face. Kiba grinned and shook his hand. The others yelled in joy and tapped the two on their shoulders.

Tsunade decided to start this party, " Enough with all this mushy crap! Let's get this party started!" With a clap of her hands trays of food appeared on each and every corner of the room, making everyone drool. Everyone rushed to their favorite dishes while Tsunade rushed to her favorite Sake , picking it up and cradling it like a lost son. The others sweat dropped at her freaky obsession with Sake. Shizune face palmed at the woman who practically raised her. It's a miracle she didn't turn out the same way she did.

After that, the real party started. The music started playing which meant the dance floor was now officially open. The women took that as a sign to show off what they can do. The men were content to munch on their choice of meal and just watch the ladies do their magic. But that didn't last long.

Shikamaru was the first to be dragged to the dance floor by the fiery Temari. The others laughed at his predicament but their laughter didn't last long. TenTen was the next to drag her partner to the dance floor. Guess who? Yep, the Stick Man a.k.a Neji.

Next came Ino who dragged both Sai and Chouji to the floor. Chouji was a bit embarrassed to be dancing since he wasn't graceful like the rest of them. Sai's face didn't really betray anything but they he knew he didn't mind.

Surprisingly it was Kiba who manned up next. He strolled confidently towards Hinata and asked her if she wanted to dance with him. She meekly nodded and they took off. Lee, not wanting to be undone by his comrade in the youth department, rushed towards Sakura with his youthful energy. Sakura was startled at first but a moment later shook her head while smiling. 'It is a party, time to lighten up Sakura!' said the narrator.

A few minutes later everyone was dancing except Shino who was content with just watching them dance. Dancing wasn't his strong suit. But if someone were to look closely, they would see that he tapped his foot to the rhythm of the music. Anko and Kakashi mysteriously disappeared while Gai was dancing with Tsunade with all people. In her defense she was clobbered by now. Iruka was dancing with Shizune and they looked stunning together. That left Naruto and Kurenai.

Naruto was smiling at the crowd of dancing people that he calls his family. His gaze fell onto Kurenai who was doing the same thing. Their eyes met a second later. An unspoken agreement was made. They both gently smiled at each other and both started walking to the dance floor, their eyes never leaving each other.

Naruto met Kurenai at the edge of the dance floor. He extended his hand and bowed extravagantly which made Kurenai giggle. She took her hand and that's when the magic began. Their movements were captivating, making everyone else stop what they were doing.

Watching these two was like watching two beautiful angels dancing on the stars. They knew exactly what the other will do before they even did it. They complimented each other perfectly.

The girls were at awe, mainly at Naruto. They didn't know he could dance so…so passionately. To be honest, they envied Kurenai right now.

Meanwhile, the dancing duo was having the time of their lives. For Kurenai, this was the first time she truly felt relaxed and happy after a long time. And she felt so comfortable and safe in Naruto's arms. It was bewildering to her.

With the final beat of the music, the duo finished their dance with a dip. Naruto smiled at the woman who he was holding gently in his arms. Kurenai did the same. A tap to Naruto's shoulder interrupted their little moment.

Naruto righted himself and Kurenai with him and turned around. He saw Tsunade there grinning mischievously at him. But that wasn't the worst or best part. When Naruto looked behind Tsunade he could see a row of women, waiting for their turn to dance with him.

Naruto gulped and chuckled nervously. He looked towards Kurenai for some assistance but she just laughed at his predicament. He frowned at her laughing face but he didn't have time to do or say anything else because the music started again and he was forcefully dragged back onto the dance floor by a raging and drunk Tsunade.

One thing was sure; his legs are going to be sore tomorrow.

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**I hope you liked it! The action will continue the next chapter or the chapter after that. Please review and tell me what you think, thank you!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Her savior chapter 8! Last chapter was pretty boring but necessary to reintroduce Naruto back to Konoha and his friends. This one will have a bit more action, hopefully. I also want to thank you for helping me breach the 100 mark in reviews. You guys are awesome! You also breached the 200 mark for alerts and favorites so thank you very much. I never expected such an interest in this story! I hope this kind of trend continues till the end. Thanks again!**

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"WHAT? What do you mean he's gone?" yelled an enraged Raikage. The messenger swallowed nervously, "When Killer Bee and his team didn't return on time, a patrol was sent out per protocol. The patrol found a site of a massive battle but no Team Killer Bee. We have reason to believe his team was abducted."

"Was there any trace of the Hachibi chakra?" asked A, his veins popping out of sheer fury he was feeling right now.

"No sir, no Hachibi chakra residue was found." Said the messenger.

A growled, "Send Jounin Team A and B out there. I want them to find Killer Bee and bring him back as soon as possible. Extreme caution is advised. Whoever defeated Killer Bee isn't to be underestimated."

"Yes sir!" said the messenger while disappearing in a Shunshin.

"Mabui!" yelled A.

Mabui walked inside the room, "Yes?" "Send word to Konoha. Tell them that Killer Bee was abducted and that I need assistance." Ordered A. Mabui nodded and went to work.

Raikage slumped back into his chair, feeling a lot heavier than before, "Just what the hell is going on?" thought A to himself.

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"Stupid Grandma, stupid Council, stupid, stupid, stupid…." Rambled Naruto while walking down the street. He was subconsciously waving back at the people who greeted him but he was in his own little world now.

Naruto stopped in the middle of the road and took a deep breath, 'Alright, maybe it won't be so bad. It's a chance to help grow the next generation.' Thought Naruto.

Some might be wondering what he was rambling about. Well, after last night's party Tsunade summoned him to her office where he found out as part of his probation he will be working as an assistant to a teacher in the Academy. He tried to protest but Tsunade would have none of it. When he insisted which wasn't a good idea because Tsunade was still hangover from last night, she flung him out of her window with instructions to be there at 9 a.m.

And now here he was.

"Ice cream, ice cream, the best ice cream in all of Konoha. Get it while it's cold…." Naruto heard this jingle to his left and saw an ice cream vendor selling his goods. Naruto licked his lips, ice cream sounded good to him right now. He needed to cool off.

He walked towards the female vendor who didn't sense his presence, "Hi." Greeted Naruto kindly.

The female vendor faced him and immediately blushed when she saw him but expertly hid it, "Hi." Responded the vendor.

Naruto smiled, "Can I get some Ice cream?"

"Sure thing, handsome. Which one do you want?" smiled the woman.

Naruto scratched his head because of the blunt compliment, " I want chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, yogurt and Coconut, please."

"Oh, we have a big boy among us." Smiled the woman. Naruto laughed at her. The woman prepared the gigantic Ice cream in a flash. A minute later Naruto was paying the woman for her service while leaving a large tip for being so nice. He walked away and as soon as he left another woman approached the female vendor and whispered something in her ear. Recognition flashed through her eyes.

A loud, "WHAT?" was heard in the street and Naruto grinned wider. It seems she now knows who he is.

Naruto happily licked his ice cream while walking towards the Academy.

He was done in a few minutes when he heard someone call out his name, "Uzumaki-sama…"

He looked up and saw a man walking towards him with a lovely lady beside him. The man and the lady stopped in front of him, "Yes? Can I help you with something?" asked Naruto politely.

The man was small, really small and had an arrogant aura around him, "You sure can. Allow me to introduce myself, Shinji Nakamura, owner and president of the Nakamaru Incorporation." Naruto shook the man's hand and introduced himself, "Uzumaki Naruto, owner and president of apartment number 12." Said Naruto which earned him a giggle from the beautiful lady and a scowl from the midget in front of him.

The man wanted to say something about Naruto's rude behavior but changed his mind, "Pleasure to meet you, Uzumaki-sama. I heard great things about you."

"Uh, likewise, Shina." Said Naruto, forgetting his real name which earned him another beautiful giggle from the still unidentified lady and an irritated scowl from the rich man in front of him.

"It's Shinji but never mind about that. I have a proposition for you. One that would benefit you greatly as would me." Said Shinji.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What kind of proposition?" He didn't like the sound of that. He didn't like this man. He sounded and looked like a pompous ass.

Shinji pushed the lady beside him upfront and spoke, "Marriage to my daughter, Ami Nakamaru."

Ami bowed politely before the strongest man in the Nations, "Pleased to meet you, Uzumaki-sama."

Naruto was at a loss of words, he definitely didn't expect that. He bowed back to the lovely lady in front of him, "Pleasure is all mine, Miss Ami. But please, Naruto would do just fine. I hate formalities."

Ami nodded and smiled kindly. Her father spoke, "What say you? This union would benefit you greatly. Not to mention Konoha as well."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and addressed Ami, "Look, it's nothing personal Ami. You look like a lovely lady but I am not interested in marrying anyone right now. I just got back from a long personal mission and I just want to relax a bit."

Ami wasn't offended or anything like that, she was expecting such an answer from him judging from what she heard of him, "I understand, Naruto." But her father wasn't so pleased about his answer, "I urge you to reconsider Uzumaki-sama. I don't take rejections lightly. My daughter is a fine specimen of a woman and would be a great wife to you."

Naruto looked at Ami and saw that she was saddened by the way her own father talked about her, like she was some goods that he wants to sell.

Naruto was quickly getting angry at the man, "If I did seek a wife it wouldn't be a woman who would serve my every whim. I would seek a woman who would be equal to me and would love me unconditionally as would I her. You speak of your daughter like you speak of your merchandise and I find that very despicable. You have such a wonderful daughter yet you don't appreciate that. Shinji Nakamaru, I advise you to refrain from threatening me. My patience is running thin with you already."

That said, Naruto turned towards Ami who had a thankful look on her face, happy that he protected her name, "Ami, it's been a pleasure. You are a lovely lady and don't let anyone tell you otherwise not even your father. I hope you find a man that will respect you and love you for who you are. " He took her hand and gently kissed it which earned him a bright blush on Ami's face.

Shinji meanwhile was infuriated. No one says No to Shinji! No one!

Naruto was about to walk away when he heard Shinji speak in his angry tone, "Mark my words, Uzumaki, this isn't the last you heard of me."

Naruto sighed and walked away. Shinji grabbed his daughter's arm, a bit too rough in her opinion, and walked away.

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"Room 102, 102, 102…" rambled Naruto walking through the hallways and looking at every door, trying to find the class he was supposed to help teach. He had no clue how to teach a bunch of kids. He was more of a hands-on approach type of guy. He learns through practice and not through reading. That's just boring except if it entails Fuuinjutsu. Fuuinjutsu is just awesome.

"102…Ah, here it is." Naruto took a deep breath to calm his nerves and then knocked gently on the door. He heard someone say, "Come in." Naruto grabbed the handle of the door and opened it.

"Hi, I'm here for the…" started Naruto but was interrupted… "Naruto?" came a feminine voice in front of him. Naruto blinked and saw who it was, "Kurenai? What are you doing here?" asked a bewildered Naruto.

"I could ask you the same thing. I asked Tsunade-sama for a transfer and she agreed. You are looking at a new Academy Teacher for the first years, on probation for the time being." Smiled proudly Kurenai.

"Well then, congratulations. I was supposed to report here at 9 but I was held up by something." The memory of that despicable man appeared in his mind and he scowled internally.

"That's okay. Tsunade-sama sent word that she will be sending me an assistant but I had no idea she was sending you." Said Kurenai. Naruto nodded and Kurenai turned towards the class which was unusually quiet. Naruto turned and saw why. They recognized him which meant he was seeing a lot of amazed looks directed at him.

Kurenai introduced him, "Class, this is Uzumaki Naruto and he will be helping me with your teaching. Say hello."

What should have sounded like a simple 'hello', turned into a loud concert yell, well exceeding the sound barrier.

Naruto scratched his head in embarrassment and grinned at his new protégés, "Yo!" A simple wave directed at the class, turned the girls into mush and the boys already huge admiration level just soared to new heights. Naruto sweat-dropped and Kurenai shook her head. She knew it will take quite some time before they get used to seeing Naruto every day.

Naruto turned towards Kurenai, ignoring the class for the moment, "Uh, what are my duties exactly? I kinda got thrown out of Baa-chan's office before she could tell me."

Kurenai smiled lightly, "That sounds like you, alright. Let me check for you though." Kurenai opened the drawer in her desk and pulled out a slip of paper. She unfolded it and started reading, "Let's see… It says that your primary duty is to help with the taijutsu and weapon throwing classes. " Naruto nodded. It makes sense. He sucks at theory. Kurenai continued, "Your secondary duties are to bring the head teacher, meaning me, coffe and takowasa (octopus and wasabi ). " A barely concealed grin appeared on Kurenai's face while Naruto frowned with suspiscion, "Are you sure about the last one? I never heard of an assistant like that."

"Oh, I'm quite sure." Smiled Kurenai mischievously but Naruto failed to notice that. Of course, it didn't say that has to do that but Kurenai wanted to squeeze as much as she could out of this deal. She can only pray that Naruto takes the bait.

Naruto growled with irritation, "Great, now I'm your personal butler. Stupid Grandma."

'Yatta!' screamed Kurenai internally. A chibi version of hers was doing a little victory dance inside her head while on the outside she was as cool as a cucumber.

She turned back towards the class, ignoring the grumbling Naruto for the time being, "Alright class, let's pick up where we left off… Who can tell me who were the founders of Konoha?..."

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"Huuuu…." Naruto slumped into the chair in the Academy's cafeteria. Kurenai laughed at him for overreacting.

"Teaching is exhausting. I don't know how Iruka-sensei does it every single day." Grumbled Naruto.

Kurenai sat opposite of him, "Oh come on, it isn't so bad. You are just being a baby."

Naruto scoffed, "Easy for you to say, you weren't ogled by every single girl in the class like you are some piece of meat."

Kurenai cleared her throat and looked at him funnily. "Alright, maybe you were but at least the boys didn't make a move on you. During the taijutsu class, a girl pinched me in the butt. A 8 year old pinched me in the butt! Is that even legal?" said Naruto in outrage while Kurenai laughed at his predicament.

Kurenai managed to speak through her laughing, "What did you expect, you are a celebrity now. I'm surprised they didn't tackle you right away and had their way with you."

"That's sick on so many levels I'm not even going to comment. You need help, Kurenai."

"Shut up!" said Kurenai.

"Jokes aside, what do you think? Do they have potential?" asked Naruto, now calmer than before.

Kurenai took a breather, "Well, this was my first day so I don't really know but I think I spotted a gem in disguise."

Naruto nodded, "The boy in the last corner, sitting by the window."

Kurenai looked at him funnily, "Uh, no, I was actually thinking about the boy in the front row, sitting between the two energetic girls." Energetic girls meaning fangirls.

Naruto frowned, "That guy? No way, my guy has it all. He's cool, funny and quite frankly I think he's a genius."

"Naruto, he slept through every single one of my classes. That isn't exactly genius material." Responded Kurenai.

"Well, it's not his fault your classes are so boring." Said Naruto but immediately wished he didn't because he could see fury flash across Kurenai's visage.

"What do you mean 'boring'? I'll have you know, my classes are fun and cool." Growled Kurenai, losing her calm composure she is known for.

"Pleaseee, your classes are like a snooze fest. I'm surprised you didn't fall asleep as well." This kind of banter continued for a while and the waitress that came to get their orders looked on confused as to what was going on and what she should do.

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"Mommy!" yelled Asuma while running towards Kurenai who was just leaving the Academy with Naruto.

Kurenai caught the little bugger and hugged him tightly, "Hey honey." She put him down on solid ground and took hold of his hand while walking towards his caretaker during the mornings, Anko Mitarashi. Naruto followed her close behind.

"How was your day with Aunt Anko?" smiled Kurenai.

Asuma grinned, "It was awesome. We ate some dango and ice cream and then we met a man with one eye. Auntie seemed to really like him."

Kurenai and Naruto blinked and they both turned towards Anko who feigned ignorance. A sly grin came upon Naruto and Kurenai's face, "Oh, a one-eyed man you say? I wonder who that is? Naruto, care to guess?"

"I have no idea, Kurenai. Anko, care to enlighten us?" grinned Naruto.

Anko growled at the two, "Shut up. It's none of your business."

The duo laughed at her while Asuma looked a bit confused.

"This is rich… Wait till Gai hears about this." Laughed Kurenai. Anko paled when she heard the word 'Gai'. Knowing him, he'll probably come running to her and ask her out on a date so that he can win one over Kakashi. She can't handle a romantic Gai. She wants to kill Romantic Gai.

"You will speak to no one about this or I will visit you while you sleep. Got it?" threatened Anko. This promptly shut the laughing duo up. They knew she was serious. She would really do that.

A moment later she grinned, "Good. Glad you understand. Now, take the little gaki. I have some errands to take care of."

Asuma hopped over to Anko and grinned at her. Anko, getting used to this, bent down and hugged him. Naruto raised an eyebrow at her gentle nature. He knew it was somewhere deep inside of her but seeing it first hand is quite an experience. He's got to say, the friendly and loving personality kinda suited her, in a weird and psychotic way.

Anko said her goodbyes, turned around and walked away.

She stopped when she heard, "Say hi to Kakashi for me!" she could practically see Naruto's grin on his face despite not facing him. She growled and turned around and saw that the trio were nothing but dust on the horizon.

She scoffed, "I'll get them later!"

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"That was fun Mommy, let's do it again." Said Asuma excitedly. He was referring to running away from his angry Aunt.

"Sorry Asuma. I don't think Auntie would like that." Asuma pouted in his cute manner which Kurenai smiled at. He looked so adorable when he did that. A loud grumble could be heard coming from Asuma and Kurenai blinked, "Are you hungry Asuma?" Asuma nodded embarrassingly. Naruto chirped in at this moment, "You are in luck. Look what's behind us." Said Naruto, motioning to the small cozy ramen stand behind them.

Kurenai looked confused. 'How the hell did we end up here?' thought Kurenai bewildered by the whole thing.

"What's this Mommy?" asked Asuma, never been here before. Naruto answered that question, "This, Asuma, is the place where they make the food of the Gods. Their food will make you the strongest ninja on earth." That did it for Asuma. By the time Kurenai managed to utter a word of protest, Asuma and Naruto were already sitting on the stools in the stand. She frowned and shook her head. With a resigned shake of her head, she joined the two kids.

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"Oi, Naruto, you're back I see and with company. My boy, ever since you came back business has been blooming. Keep doing whatever it is you are doing." Grinned happily Teuchi.

Naruto looked bewildered and shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea what you are talking about, old man. Stop messing around and bring on the food." Said Naruto excitedly.

Teuchi laughed at the exuberant young man. He turned towards the young boy next to him and the lovely lady, "Hello there, what can I get you?"

Asuma went first but looked confused as to what to order, "Uhm, I don't really know what to order."

Good thing the master of ramen was there, "Give him a Miso ramen first." Teuchi nodded. Naruto turned towards Asuma and grinned, "Just wait Asuma. In a minute you feel like the happiest man on earth." Asuma mirrored Naruto's grin while Kurenai shook her head and prayed to God that her son doesn't get addicted to this stuff.

Teuchi turned towards Kurenai, "And you miss? What can I get you?"

"I'll have a vegi ramen, please." Teuchi nodded and went to work.

A couple of minutes later, Naruto had 4 bowls of his favorite ramen, Asuma had one and Kurenai had one. With a unanimous 'Itadakimasu', they dug in.

During their feast, at least in Naruto's case, they talked about different things, life in general, about Asuma's childhood, life as a single mother and so on…. Teuchi actually thought they looked like a real family but didn't voice his thought.

Asuma seeing that his idol ate a lot more and a lot faster, tried to do the same. Needless to say, after the second bowl he was stuffed but still grinning like a fool since Naruto complimented him by saying that he will get strong in no time if he keeps this up. Kurenai said nothing except smile at the two and their interaction. Asuma needs a good role model in his life and despite his unusual addiction to ramen, it doesn't get better than Naruto in that department. Strong, loving, cares for his friends and would die for them and above all, he is the epiphany of goodness.

Their meal and their thoughts were interrupted by an ANBU bearing a message," Sorry for the interruption Uzumaki-sama but the Hokage wants to see you. She says it's urgent." With that the ANBU bowed and left the trio alone.

Naruto sighed and turned towards the duo on his right, "Well it looks like it is time for me to go. I'll see you tomorrow Kurenai. Asuma be good and listen to your mother, okay?" Asuma nodded with a smile. Kurenai bid him goodbye with a light smile and a wave.

Naruto smiled back and paid Teuchi for the whole meal, like a gentleman.

A wave later he disappeared.

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"I'm here Grandma. What is it?" asked Naruto, appearing inside her office.

Tsunade sighed, she hated being the bearer of bad news, "Sit down, gaki." Naruto seeing that she wasn't messing around complied and waited for her to speak.

"I've just received an urgent message from the Hidden Cloud from the Raikage. It seems something happened over there." Said Tsunade, treading carefully with the subject.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What happened?" He had a bad feeling about this.

"Naruto, Killer Bee was kidnapped." Naruto's eyes widened. Shock and anger filled his eyes, "Wha?"

Tsunade felt bad for him, she knew Killer Bee means a lot to him, "It seems an unknown opponent or group attacked Killer Bee's team while they were returning from a mission. No demands have been made so far."

Naruto clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, "Who could have done this? Killer Bee is one of the strongest in the world even without the Hachibi. When he transforms almost no one can stop him."

"That's the thing, he didn't use the Hachibi's chakra against his enemy. He was either caught off guard which is very unlikely or something prevented him from using it."

Naruto racked his brain for any possible clues as to who the assailant was. There aren't a lot of people left who could go toe to toe with Bee. He came out empty. There isn't a fool in the world who would fight Killer Bee alone which means this was definitely the work of a powerful group of individuals. This was sounding like Akatsuki all over again. He prayed that wasn't true.

"Let me go out there and help with the search mission!" said Naruto urgently. The chances of him finding are slim to none but he can't sit here while his mentor was missing.

Tsunade's eyes turned to steel, "I'm afraid I can't do that, Naruto. Whoever kidnapped Bee is someone of immense power and we suspect they did it for the Hachibi which means you are in danger as well. The council and I forbid you from leaving the village until the situation resolves itself.

Naruto growled, he suspected something like this would happen. He cursed in his mind, he felt helpless right now and he didn't like that feeling.

"Then at least let me contact my spies throughout the nations. I made some contacts during my travels and I'm sure they heard something." Said Naruto.

Tsunade nodded, "Very well. I'll be sending ANBU out to scour the country for any possible leads. I will also send word to surrounding nations to keep their eyes and ears peeled for any rumors regarding Bee."

Naruto nodded grimly. "Good, let me know if you find anything." Tsunade nodded. Naruto disappeared a moment later, intent on notifying his spies as soon as possible. He'll also ask the Toads to send out their spy toads to help with the search. Hopefully they'll find something.

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"Report!" said A hastily. A jounin spoke up, "Sir, we followed the scent we found on the battlefield to our borders with Fire Country. The border patrol let us through but we lost the scent a couple of miles inland. The scent just vanished into thin air."

A broke the table in his anger, "Dammit!" he growled ferociously. He dismissed his jounins with a wave of his hand. Darui was standing by the door waiting for further instructions.

A turned towards him, "Darui, go get C and get ready to move out. We are going after them ourselves." Said A seriously.

Darui wasn't surprised by that. He knew his commander was protective of his little brother, especially since the war. Something about wanting to regain the bond he once had with his brother. He nodded and disappeared.

'Wait for me Bee. I'm coming!' said A.

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A few days passed but still no word of Killer Bee or his teammates. Even Naruto's spies who were usually very reliable came out empty-handed. The Toads had no luck either. Naruto was getting more and more restless and if it wasn't for Kurenai he would have done something stupid by now. For the past few days, Naruto, Kurenai, Anko, Yugao and Asuma spent a lot of time together. Naruto Kurenai went to work together and then for lunch afterwards with Asuma and the others joining them occasionally. Kurenai heard about Bee and she was trying her hardest to take Naruto's mind of off it which was a very difficult thing to do. That's why she acquired the help of others and they've come up with something. Naruto also met up with Konohamaru and his friends. It was nice to see them again.

Right now, Kurenai and Naruto just finished their work and the former was leading Naruto towards the place where they were scheduled to meet.

"Where are we going, Kurenai? I told you I don't have time right now. I need to go home and see if my spies found anything. I don't have time to mess around. " said Naruto seriously.

Kurenai shushed him, "You need to relax. I understand what you are going through but worrying won't solve anything. If anything happens I'm sure Tsunade-sama will let you know. If your spies did find anything I'm sure they would have contacted you personally, am I right?"

Naruto sighed, "Yes, but…" "No buts, you are going to relax and that's final." Said Kurenai sternly.

Naruto chuckled and complied.

A few minutes later they've arrived in a clearing just outside the Konoha Walls.

"There they are!" yelled Ino which made everyone else in the clearing turn their heads towards the arriving duo.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, wondering what's this all about. Kurenai saw this, "We missed three of your b-days so we decided to make up for lost time." Smiled Kurenai sweetly.

The group came rushing towards him, "Happy delayed birthday Naruto!"

Naruto laughed and wiped a stray tear for their thoughtfulness, "Thanks guys. You are the best." Everyone was there even the Ichiraku duo. Konohamaru was there too along with his friends. He didn't see Tsunade or Shizune but he guessed they are too busy right now with the whole Bee thing.

"We will spend the day what we do best, eating and fighting!" said Ino to her friend.

Naruto and Chouji exclaimed, "Bring on the food!" The group laughed at their addiction to food. It's a good thing the Ichirakus are here otherwise the rest of the gang would have left hungry.

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"Alright, let's get this show on the road! Let the veterans show us how it's done. Gai, Kakashi you are up first!" said Anko, acting as the judge for the time being.

"YOSH! Time for my youth to shine brightly against my eternal rival!" "Go GAI-SENSEI!" came the cheer from his faithful student Lee. Kakashi sighed and went to the center of the makeshift ring.

Gai was all jumpy while Kakashi seemed too lazy to even stand there.

Anko spoke up, "Since I'm the proctor for this little tournament I get to decide the rules." Smirked Anko devilishly, making everyone a bit nervous.

She continued, "The rules for this fight are: Whoever can hold out the longest without attacking WINS! Lovely, isn't it?" laughed Anko.

Kakashi was thinking, 'This is my kind of competition' Shika sneezed in the crowd after that.

Gai was a whole other story. He was looking forward to going all out against Kakashi but now….

"YOSH! This is a test of my youth. I will definitely win this one, my rival!" yelled Gai.

"Remember, whoever strikes first loses! BEGIN!" announced Anko.

Kakashi took out his faithful companion and started reading it while Gai looked very uncomfortable. He started to sweat, his face turned red and he looked like he was constipated.

5 seconds later, "YOSH! KONOHA SENPU!" the kick from Gai was blocked by Kakashi but the show was over, "I think that's a new record for not staying still, Gai. You should be proud of yourself." Said Anko while laughing. The others soon joined her. Gai looked crestfallen but Kakashi rectified that, "I'm looking forward to our next challenge."

Stars lit up in Gai's eyes, "Yosh! I will work twice as hard so that I win next time. LEE! Let's show them our youthfulness!"

Lee came in speeding like a rocket and joined his sensei on their workout. The others cringed at their exuberant behavior.

Shaking their heads, the group focused back on the tournament, "Alright, since we are done deleting that scene from our memories, let's move on. The ladies are up next, Ino and Sakura! Get your asses over here!"

The two lovely ladies both grinned at each other, excited about their match. They haven't fought since the Chuunin Exams if that could be classified as a match.

"You are going down Ino-pig!" declared Sakura confidently. "You wish Forehead!"

Before their silly banter escalates Anko spoke, "Alright, time for the rules. You are going to love this, mostly. The rules are, whoever performs the sexiest strip down wins!" grinned Anko.

Sakura blushed like a drunk on crack, "What the hell? What kind of a rule is this? I'm not stripping in front of everyone!"

Anko shrugged her shoulder, "If you don't you lose. Oh, look at your competition! Look at her go!"

Sakura faced Ino and saw that she was starting to take off her purple jacket. She was gawking at her, "Ino, what are you doing? Are you insane?"

Ino grinned, "What? It's all good practice for when you are married."

The guys were glued to Ino and her lustrious body. Sai took out his notebook and his brush and made himself comfortable. Kakashi expertly and inconspicuously positioned himself behind him and waited for the show to begin. Even Gai and Lee stopped their youthful exercise for this. Who wouldn't! Even little Asuma's gaze was glued onto Ino despite not knowing what exactly is going on. Kurenai interfered and put her hand over his eyes. She doesn't want a 4 year old pervert for a son. No way in hell!

Ino continued to strip down in a very teasingly manner which made all the men weak in the knees and their blood boiling hot.

Sakura seeing that she meant business decided to end this, "I give up! There is no way in hell I'm stripping in front of these perverts. You win, Ino-pig!"

Ino's clothes reappeared on her body with speed rivaling Naruto's, much to the men's displeasure. She jumped into the air triumphantly, "YES! Take that, Forehead! I win!"

Anko grinned, "You got it folks, the slut wins over the prude!"

Both girls rounded on Anko and growled at her but Anko ignored them and moved on. She cleared her throat, "Moving on, time for the star of this little gathering to make a cameo. Gaki, get your ass in the ring!"

Naruto sprung up on his feet and hopped to the ring and faced Anko, "Who am I fighting?"

Anko grinned her snake-like grin, "Why little young me of course!"

Naruto gulped because of her insane look. He did the only reasonable thing, "I give up!"

The group laughed but Anko will have none of it, "The thing is, the special rule for this fight is, GIVING UP IS NOT AN OPTION!" With that she sprung into action, her snakes already making a cameo.

Naruto's eyes widened in fear and dashed away from her while shouting at her to stop it. But Anko was already too far gone. She would have her piece of Uzumaki Naruto, one way or another.

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"She is still as crazy as ever, huh." Said Naruto, clutching his sore body.

Kurenai laughed while carrying Asuma on her shoulders, "Yep, same old Anko. She is one of a kind, that's for sure."

The party was a blast, if you ignore the obscenities directed at Anko for her ridiculous rules. They fought, they drunk, they ate, they enjoyed life to the fullest. And now some rest would be well deserved and needed.

The trio were walking towards Kurenai's house, " Unique or not, the woman is bat crazy!" pouted Naruto while rubbing his ass, where the most damage was. Those snakes had a nasty bite to them.

Both Asuma and Kurenai laughed at him, "Such a cry-baby, right Asuma?"

Asuma giggled and nodded. Naruto stuck out his tongue at them.

A few minutes of chatting later, they arrived at Kurenai's shack of love, "Well this is it." Said Kurenai.

"I want to thank you for today. It did help getting my mind off the Bee thing if only for a few hours." Smiled lovingly Naruto.

Kurenai smiled in return, "No problem. I'm sure everything will work out in the end. Have faith in Killer Bee. I'm sure he is still out there and kicking some serious ass."

Naruto chuckled, "Of that I am sure."

"Look, the day is still young, would you like to come in for a cup of coffee? We rarely get any visitors, unless you count a drunk Anko or a lazy Shikamaru as visitors, so I'm sure Asuma would appreciate some company." Smiled Kurenai kindly.

"Uhm, sure, why not. I have nothing else to do except worrying about Killer Bee." Smiled Naruto.

Kurenai smiled and turned around and opened the door of her house. She was about to invite Naruto in when the ground shook, real bad!

Naruto turned around, "What the hell?" No longer was he a goofy young man, his visage turned into a hardened warrior, a veteran of battle.

Another quake shook the earth, "What's going on?" pondered Kurenai, while clutching Asuma to her protectively.

The village was in a state of panic, people were rushing out of their homes and towards the evacuation zone. Ninjas were running across rooftops, all heading towards the Main Gate.

Naruto frowned, this wasn't looking good. He turned around, "Kurenai, take Asuma and head towards the evacuation zone. I will check out what's going on. It might be nothing but better safe than sorry."

Kurenai nodded at him. She wanted to help but little Asuma's safety came first.

She picked up Asuma and started walking towards the direction of the shelter, "Be careful, okay?"

Naruto smiled and nodded, "I'll be fine. Now go!" Kurenai ran past Naruto and joined the civilians in the evacuation procedure.

Naruto jumped to the roof of a nearby house and started running towards the Main Gate. Someone was foolish enough to attack his home. They will soon find out what happens when someone messes with Konoha!

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**Chapter done! Please review and tell me what you think, next chapter will have some fight scenes and the continuation of the plot. Review!**

**See ya!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Her savior chapter 9! It's been a while since I updated this story and I apologize for that. Life's been pretty hectic lately. I hope this chapter makes up for it. I want to thank you all who reviewed and I'm glad you like the story so far.**

**Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Naruto!**

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"Sir, the attack has commenced and Uzumaki Naruto was spotted heading towards the Main Gate." Informed a messenger to his boss.

Said boss grinned evilly in the shadows, "He's wide open!" He cackled in glee for reasons unknown. The messenger took a step back from his commander. Whenever he gets like that it isn't wise to be in his presence.

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Unaware of someone wishing bad things happening to him, Naruto continued on his path towards where the attack was happening. He saw ninjas left and right, all heading towards the gates. A small group disengaged from the rest of the ninjas and headed towards Naruto once they spotted him amongst the crowd.

Naruto turned towards them and immediately recognized them, "It's good to see you guys."

Said guys were the Ino-Shika-Cho team, Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru.

Ino spoke up, her mood sour and her hair all messed up,"What the hell is going on? I was having my hair done when my entire bathroom fell on top of me. I'm so killing whoever attacked this village!"

Chouji laughed and he felt sorry for the poor guy who will feel Ino's wrath. Shikamaru seemingly ignored Ino's rant. He was too focused on the fight ahead, his mind already coming up with a possible battle plan for whatever they will face once they reach the Main Gate.

"I'm in the dark just like you. Heads up, we are here!" said Naruto, snapping Ino out of her murdering rant and make her focus on the job to come. They jumped over the last building that obscured their view of the Main Gates and the attacker.

They landed on top of nearby store, near the gates and their eyes widened when they saw who or what was attacking.

They looked up and saw snakes? Three of them to be exact, all of them battering their heads against the stone walls erupted by nearby Shinobi. They didn't have time to ponder why snakes and who the hell was controlling them, "Does anyone of you have a summon that can go toe-to-toe with one of them?" asked Naruto.

He got three negative shakes of their heads. He expected as such, summons of that caliber aren't available to anyone. His formation of a plan was cut short when he felt his sensei arrive on the scene along with Gai.

"Kakashi-sensei, glad to see you came on time for once." Smirked Naruto.

"It just so happens that my road of life led me here." Eye-smiled Kakashi but then turned serious and looked towards the snakes.

"Where are the summoners?" asked Kakashi.

"So far I haven't seen or sensed them. It's possible they are hiding in order to ambush us later or something like that." Responded Naruto who was getting all fidgety doing nothing but standing there and watching the snakes rampage.

Kakashi noticed that and sped things along, "Alright then, Naruto can you take the summons?"

Naruto shrugged, "Probably. Gamabunta did say he needed to stretch his legs so he'll be happy to help."

"No way, you ain't taking them on all by yourself. I want one. That fucker ruined my haircut and my day." Growled Ino menacingly.

Naruto laughed nervously and took a few steps back from the raging Ino, "Uh, sure thing Ino just don't kill me."

Ino cracked her knuckles, "Alright, let's get this show on the road. I want the one on the right. Let's go Chouji, Shikamaru."

Naruto chuckled at Shikamaru who didn't want to do anything. He was happy with Naruto doing all the work. He was tired dammit. But then again, when is he not?

Kakashi smiled, "Gai go with them and make sure they don't do anything stupid." Oh who was he kidding. Sending Gai only increases the chance of that happening.

"Yosh my rival!" he sped after Team 10 in a trail of dust.

That done he turned towards Naruto only to find him gone. He shook his head in amusement. It's a miracle he lasted this long doing nothing. He jumped after him, ready to protect his home.

"**Summoning Jutsu!"** Naruto slammed his hand on the ground and in a poof of smoke there stood the Chief of Toads, Gamabunta.

"**What the hell gaki? What took you so long to summon me again? It's been years dammit!" **scolded Bunta. The morale of nearby Shinobi soared when they saw the protector of Konoha and his summon. They got this in the bag!

Naruto chuckled while standing on top of Bunta's head, "Sorry about that but I've been really busy. Besides there wasn't a worthy opponent for you to fight but now there is. Look!" pointed Naruto towards the snakes.

**A switch went off in Bunta's head, "Gaki, you just made my day. I've been wanting a snake wallet since I was a tadpole. Too bad I couldn't get Manda's but this exiles will have to do."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Exiles? What do you mean?"

**Bunta explained, "See the mark on their forehead?" questioned Bunta**.

Naruto squinted his eyes. He saw a quite big blue scratch on the middle of each of the snakes' forehead, "Yeah, what about it?"

"**That is the mark for those who are no longer part of the Snake Clan. They got exiled because of something they did or didn't do. From my experience they just didn't cut it. Snakes don't tolerate weakness among their ranks."**

Naruto nodded in understanding, "I see. They do look weaker and smaller than the ones Orochimaru used to summon."

"**Which only further proves my theory about them not cutting it. Exiles wander the world in search of a potential summoner. It seems these 3 little fledglings found one."**

That was enough information for Naruto. It was time for some action, "Alright, time to shine!"

Naruto jumped down from Bunta's head and landed next to Kakashi, "Here Kakashi-sensei, use this!"

"**Summoning Jutsu!"** Another poof of smoke later, there stood Gamahiro. Gamahiro is a huge toad, easily towering over buildings and trees. He has an aquamarine skin tone and yellow eyes with grey markings around them and two distinct, circular markings on his shoulders. He also carries two huge katanas on his back, which are his main weapons with an orange sash around his stomach.

On top of his head stood Naruto and Kakashi, "Hiro would you mind lending us a hand against those snakes?"

Hiro nodded, happy to be able to help his favorite summoner.

Naruto grinned, "Great! Thanks, I owe you one." Naruto leaped back on Bunta's head and let Kakashi to fight the other snake with Gamahiro.

"Alright Bunta, let's get cracking!" Bunta nodded and gripped the sheath of his sword. In a burst of speed, Bunta threw himself against the nearest snake and drew his sword, aiming to stab in the face. The brown snake saw it coming and coiled around the sword and Bunta's hand. It tried to break his hand but Bunta let go of the sword and jumped back.

"**Why you little…" growled Gamabunta.**

Naruto went through some handseals for one of his wind jutsus, **"Fuuton: Daitoppa!" **Pumping twice as much chakra as needed, he turned the C-rank Jutsu into a B-rank one. The powerful gust of wind hit the snake dead on and sent it crashing into the forest.

Seeing an opening, Bunta jumped forward, grabbed his sword mid-air and leaped towards the snake, his sword poised to kill the damn snake.

That plan foiled itself when the snake regained its bearing and dug underground, evading the killing blow from Bunta.

"**It just won't stay still…"**

Naruto smirked when he saw the snake disappear underground. It just made things a lot easier for him.

Finishing the handseals needed for the technique, he yelled out, **"Doton: Yomi Numa!"**

The ground turned into mud and trapping the snake underneath it. Naruto smirked. This fight was over. The snake continued to struggle and in a show of strength, it broke through the swamp created by Naruto. But its fate was already determined when it chose to fight Naruto. Breaking free of the swamp, the snake wasn't ready to evade the attack sent by Bunta. The sword of Bunta's sliced the snake's head clean off, ending the fight.

Gamabunta grinned in satisfaction, **"That felt so good! I wish I could have done that to Manda but beggars can't be choosers. I'll take what I can get."**

Naruto smiled at his friend. Something caught Naruto's eyes. A figure was rushing through the forest and it wasn't a Konoha ninja.

Narrowing his eyes, he spoke, "Bunta go back and help the others. There is something I need to do."

Bunta nodded. Naruto jumped off of him and pursued the unknown assailant.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Meanwhile"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""  
"**Baika no Jutsu**" yelled Chouji, increasing massively in size. "**Nikudan Sensha**" Tucking in his arms and legs, Chouji transformed into a ball of mass destruction. Said ball rushed forward at amazing speed towards the designated snake. The snake had time to react so dodging wasn't a problem. Chouji missed the snake by a wide margin but he was lucky that his spinning body protected by vicious bite from the snake who was momentarily stunned by its failed attack.

Chouji continued on its path and then switched direction to head back towards the snake. If the snake could talk or have facial expressions of a human it would have probably smirked confidently at seeing the human attack with the same technique.

The snake tried to dodge the human tank but found it couldn't move. Using all its strength proved to be futile, although it did put a massive strain on Shikamaru who was cursing the fact that he picked this plan to take down the snake. He didn't know he would have to make an effort to keep the snake immobile.

His suffering ended when Chouji slammed into the snake and sent it upwards into the sky. The snake hissed in pain and couldn't wait to land so that it could devour them all. If the snake paid attention it would have noticed a figure behind it.

Ino let out a yell from the gods and slammed her heel into the snake's head sending it crashing to the ground. Another hiss of pain and some blood was the evidence of the strength behind Ino's attack.

The snake crashed into the ground with enough force to create a small crater. It once again let out a hiss but a kunai that went down its throat promptly shut it up. On instinct the snake ate the kunai.

"No more hissing from you." Said Shikamaru lazily. "**Kai!"** The lower half of the snake's body exploded in a shower of gore and blood. The snake died instantaneously.

Chouji reverted back into his normal form and grinned victoriously. Ino landed on the ground next to the snake's head.

She cursed, "Dammit, I wanted to kill it. It seems my strength still isn't perfect. " She started stomping angrily on the snake's head in an effort to calm her nerves. It worked. Meanwhile Gai was watching the team defeat the snake from the sidelines and was proud of them. He was only there to step in if things looked bleak but no such thing happened. Asuma would have been proud of them.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""KAKASHI'S FIGHT"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The last exiled snake and Gamahiro with Kakashi on top off him were currently in a standoff. Neither made a move. The snake tensed its body and that was a sign for Gamahiro to take off. His two swords drawn in a flash, he tried to slice the snake in two. The snake weaved in between the strikes and tried to bite the toad. But Gamahiro isn't one of the top Toads for nothing. Opening his mouth, Hiro bombarded the snake with his tongue. The snake hissed and moved out of range of the deadly toad.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"** A large fireball from Kakashi made it so that the snake didn't have time to rest. The snake tried to get away but its tail still ended up burned. The snake hissed and leveled a murderous glare at its opponent.

This time the snake went on the attack. Speeding forwards it evaded the two slashing strikes from the toad and coiled around the toads body. Grunting in effort it took to immobilize the toad, the snake took this chance to devour the human on top of it.

Despite the enormous head and fangs currently approaching him, Kakashi remained calm and only extended his hand and silently whispered, **"Chidori!"**

The snake ate the puny human but soon realized its mistake albeit too late. The head of the snake exploded courtesy from the lightning current of Kakashi's chidori.

The snake dropped to the ground as dead as a doornail.

Kakashi sighed. He was covered in the snake's gore and he wasn't too happy about it. But that's just part of the job.

"Thanks for the assistance Gamahiro-sama. You may go now. We've got it covered from here." The toad croaked in understanding and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kakashi turned towards Team 10 and Gai and saw Ino beating on a dead snake and sweat-dropped.

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The unknown man ran through the forest, blissfully unaware that he was being followed until he dodged a kick to his head that would have blown it right off. He did a few back flips in order to get some room between him and his attacker.

Naruto stood there unmoving and faced his opponent. The man had black hair and black eyes. He had a scar going down his right eye but wasn't detrimental to his sight. Both of his eyes were still fully functional. He wore a black jacket over his torso. He wore black pants and black sandals to match his outfit.

The man spoke, "Well well, it seems you found me, Uzumaki Naruto." A satisfied smirk appeared on the man's face.

Naruto spoke in a calm but commanding voice,"You have me at a disadvantage here. You know my name but I don't know yours."

"I'm just a guy on a mission." Smiled tauntingly the man.

"And pray tell me what is your mission?" asked Naruto.

The man wagged his finger in a scolding manner, like he was scolding a child, "Ah,ah,ah, that is a secret."

"I'm guessing you are the one that summoned those snakes. Why?" asked Naruto in a dangerous tone but the man wasn't affected by it.

"To fulfill my mission, duh." Smirked the black-haired man.

"Destroy Konoha?" asked Naruto.

"No, my objective wasn't Konoha, at least not yet. But why tell you when you can figure it yourself?" responded the man in a taunting manner.

Naruto silently growled at the man, he was ready to beat this guy into oblivion but he needed information out of him and he can't get it if the man was half-dead.

"If your objective wasn't Konoha, then someone or something inside of it was. That means you were a decoy, you were stalling for time. " theorized Naruto.

The man clapped his hands, "Well done, Uzumaki Naruto. On your first try too. True, I was there to stall for time and to lure you out, Uzumaki." Smirked the man.

Naruto was on edge now. Why lure him out?

"Why?" asked Naruto.

"My client is a very rich man who gets everything he wants. It seems you offended him and he didn't like that." Responded the mystery man.

"You will have to be more specific than that. I offended a lot of people in my day." Responded Naruto.

"Oh, this happened very recently. In fact, I think it happened a week ago." Explained the man.

Naruto racked his brain for what happened a week ago. He frowned. He doesn't remember insulting anyone except that midget who wanted for him to marry his daughter. But it couldn't be because of that, right? I mean, that's just stupid!

"Does your client happen to be a small man with a bad breath and even worse attitude?" asked Naruto.

"Ti-din-ding, correct. Nailed it." Laughed the man.

"Are you telling me you attacked Konoha just because I said 'No' to the man? What kind of bullshit reason is that!" growled Naruto.

"Yes and no. It's true my client wanted revenge for that but he also wanted to teach you a lesson." Explained the dude.

"Why are you doing this? You don't like the kind of man that would work for a guy like that." growled Naruto, his anger slipping. He couldn't believe they put innocent lives in danger because of an asinine reason like that.

"It serves my purpose." Shrugged the man.

"What purpose?" said Naruto, narrowing his eyes. This man was an enigma. At first he thought he was just a random guy fulfilling a mission given to him by his client but there was more to him. He had an agenda himself. It seems he was just using his client to further his own goals, whatever they were.

"Don't worry about that. You should worry about yourself and your closed ones." Smirked the man.

Naruto tensed, "What do you mean by that?"

"Don't you wonder why I was stalling for time? Why only I attacked Konoha? My client isn't beneath to resort to dirty tricks to get your attention." A satisfied smirk came upon his face when he saw Naruto's eyes widen.

Naruto growled, "What did you do?"

The man looked at his fingers, checking for any dirt under his fingernails and looking smug about it, without a care in the world, "Oh just a little extraction of a person of interest." Grinned the man.

Naruto moved to attack the man, having enough of him but the man raised his hand to stop him, "Are you sure you want to do that? You are wasting valuable time speaking to me already. Fighting me will just make it worse."

Naruto growled once more. He was right. He knew he was right. Whoever they were after, they could have already got to him. 'Dammit!' screamed Naruto internally.

"Well, it's time for me to go. Places to be, things to do. Oh, by the way, that lady friend of yours, the red-eyed lady, she's a beauty, a keeper. It's no wonder you spend so much time with her, I would too. It would be a shame if something happened to her, wouldn't it?" smirked the man evilly.

Naruto's eyes widened. Impossible! Not her!

Without a second thought Naruto turned around and rushed back towards Konoha, ignoring the man for the moment. His time will come.

The man cackled gleefully at Naruto's misfortune, "Soon Uzumaki, your time is coming…" The man disappeared into the shadows, his objective complete.

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'Dammit, dammit, dammit!' screamed Naruto in his mind. How could he let this happen! He should have figured it out before. Who would attack Konoha by themselves? No one because that would be suicide.

Naruto gritted his teeth. He hoped that the man was bluffing but he didn't really believe that. Yellow chakra formed around him in a protective shroud and he blew through the forest and through the Konoha Gates.

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"Was that Naruto?" asked Ino who was moments earlier kicking a dead snake on its head and cursing loud.

Kakashi frowned, "Dammit, I knew this was too easy." He jumped and proceeded to follow Naruto.

Ino looked confused so she turned to the smartest man in Konoha, "Shika, what's going on? We won, didn't we?"

Shikamaru sighed, "Yes we won but we were supposed to. These snakes were only a decoy so that a team could sneak into Konoha. We were fooled."

Ino growled, "Come on, let's find out what they were after."

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'Come on, where are you Kurenai?' thought Naruto desperately. He stopped in front of the evacuation zone, "Did anyone see Kurenai and her son Asuma?" yelled Naruto at the group of people in front of him.

A man with bald hair, in his mid-fifties stepped forward, " She joined us on the way here but we got separated from her when a building collapsed on top of us."

Naruto growled, that was the work of that team of ninjas, "Where?" ordered Naruto.

The man pointed to the east and Naruto took off like a rocket.

'Come on Kurenai, give me something!' thought Naruto.

He came upon the downed building the man spoke of but no sign of Kurenai.

"**Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" **Naruto crossed his fingers in the cross seal and 5 Naruto's appeared around him.

"Find her!" The clones nodded and took off in a random direction while Naruto took the alleyway next to the destroyed building.

When he came out of the alleyway he came upon a battle site. A couple of holes in the building and the ground were proof of that. He followed the trail of destruction down the street where his eyes widened.

In the center of the street was a dome made of rock and his senses were telling him someone was inside. He sped forward and destroyed the rock in one hit.

His worse fears were confirmed. Inside lay a motionless Kurenai and no sign of Asuma Jr. Kurenai had a nasty gash on her left leg and her clothes were torn in quite a few places. It seems she fought like a madman to protect her son.

He dropped to his knees and cradled Kurenai in his lap. He checked for pulse and his heart jumped in joy when he felt one. At least one good news.

"I'm so sorry. It's all my fault." Apologized Naruto to the unconscious Kurenai in his lap. Tears fell down his face and on Kurenai's face. The sound of rubble moving attracted his attention.

He turned to the left and saw an injured man coming out of some rubble from a nearby house. He could feel the evil intent rolling off him but it wasn't directed at him but rather towards Kurenai.

He put two and two together. He gently laid Kurenai on the ground and stood up to face the man. The man was barely standing. He was leaning against the wall of the house for support. It seems Kurenai did a number on him before her defeat. His team must have cut their losses and made their escape while they still could.

Naruto growled at the man and the unknown ninja finally noticed Naruto. The man's eyes widened in fear. Rightly so!

Naruto sped forward and grabbed the man by his throat and slammed him against the wall with enough force to crack it. The man choked out blood, he was on the verge of passing out.

Naruto spoke, "**I'm only going to ask you once. WHERE did you take Asuma?" **his voice gravelly courtesy of Kurama.

The man was shaking in fear. His whole life flashed in front of his life. The Killer Intent was unbearable. It was crushing his skull and he could barely breathe.

He cracked," We took him back to our client's mansion to the south of here. Follow the river towards the ocean, you can't miss it. Please don't kill me." Begged the man in fear of his life.

"That right is reserved for someone else." If anyone has the right to kill this bastard of a man is Kurenai.

A quick punch in the gut knocked the man out. He turned around and went back towards Kurenai. He took of his jacket and wrapped Kurenai with it. He sat there with Kurenai in his arms, beating himself up for his stupidity.

"Asuma…. Don't take my son… Asuma…." Naruto could hear Kurenai talk in her sleep, a nightmare probably.

He shushed her and tried to calm her down. Her features softened a moment later, "Don't worry. I'll bring him back. That's a promise of a lifetime."

A few minutes later Kakashi dropped down next to him. Kakashi had a solemn look on his face. It seems he was too late. He put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, waking him from his musings, "Naruto, we need to take Kurenai to the hospital."

Naruto nodded and slowly stood up with Kurenai in his arms, carrying her bridal-style. He made a motion with his head towards the unconscious man near him and Kakashi understood.

Kakashi nodded at him in understanding which was Naruto's cue to take Kurenai to the hospital.

Kakashi walked towards the beaten man and shunshined away with him towards the Konoha Interogation Facilities.

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"Kurenai-sensei!" yelled Kiba, storming into the hospital room which housed Kurenai. The rest of the team was close behind him, all worried for their sensei.

They saw Naruto sitting next to her bed and holding her hand gently in concern. He looked towards them with a sad look. He looked lost, defeated but there was still fire behind them, they could feel it.

"What happened Naruto? Who did this?" growled Kiba, barely restraining his anger. His blood was itching for revenge against the guys that did this.

Naruto shook his head, " I don't know. The attack at the Main Gates was a decoy. A second team entered Konoha unseen and attacked Kurenai. They took Asuma."

Team 8 eyes widened in shock. It seems bad news keep piling up today.

"Why?" asked Hinata meekly, her heart broken seeing her closest friend like that. Kurenai was her role model, a mother figure.

"To get to me." Was Naruto's response. His tone was heavy, guilty.

"What do you mean?" asked Kiba who was clenching his fist in rage.

"They attacked her and took Asuma to get revenge against me."

They saw that Naruto was beating himself over this, thinking he was to blame. Similar thought ran through Kiba's mind but knew that there was nothing Naruto could have done. This was an act of a scumbag of a man who will pay for what he has done.

Team 8 each took a seat around the bed. They were all silent and contemplated what to do now. They also noticed how gentle and caring Naruto was to Kurenai. His eyes never left her figure. They didn't know if it was because he felt guilty or because of something else. Nonetheless they saw another side of Naruto they never saw before.

"What will you do now, Naruto?" asked Hinata.

"I'm going to kill them all." Said Naruto without missing a beat. The tone of the voice sent shivers down their spine and if it was any other situation they would have felt sorry for the enemy but not in this case. Those bastards deserve the fate that Naruto will bring down upon them. It's been a long time since they saw Naruto this angry.

"How do you plan on doing that?" came the voice of Shikamaru from the window. Team 8 turned around and saw team 10 standing there.

"We know the location of the enemy." Said Tsunade entering the room with Kakashi, Gai and his team, Sakura, Shizune and Sai. The elites of Konoha were gathered.

She continued, "Naruto captured a prisoner and he spilled the beans rather quickly. You can thank Anko for that. It seems she was extra motivated after hearing what happened."

The occupants could hear loud footsteps approaching the room. Moments later both Anko and Yugao came racing inside the room, both worried for their friend.

"Oh Kami, Kurenai…" said Yugao, slowly walking towards Kurenai's bed and kneeling beside her. Tears pooled in her eyes . Anko was gritting her teeth in anger and they could feel the barely restrained rage coursing through her body.

"Where is their base?" asked Shikamaru who for once wasn't looking lazy.

"To the south of here. Follow the Nagawashi river towards the ocean. When the river splits into two, go west towards the mountains. The base is right under the mountain ridge." Explained Tsunade.

"I'm going." Declared Anko, not leaving any room for objections.

Tsunade looked around the room and saw that each and everyone was ready to go and teach those bastards a lesson.

She sighed, "I can't send everyone. Because of the recent attack I can't send out my best Shinobis. The perpetrators could strike again and this time it won't be just a decoy. I will send out two teams. That is the best I can do right now. Kakashi, you will lead Team 10 and Anko you will lead Team 8. You leave immediately. Oh, and once you catch up to Naruto please try to restrain him from destroying the entire continent."

All eyes turned towards the Naruto who was still in the room. He couldn't be a ….

Naruto nodded at everyone and sent one final look towards Kurenai and then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Eyes widened in surprise. They should have been used to that by now but he always finds a way to surprise them with that technique.

Tsunade sighed and shook her head. She couldn't blame the brat for going out by himself. She noticed the gaki is very protective of Kurenai and her son. Kidnapping said son was the worst thing those idiots could have done right now.

"He's probably halfway there by now so there is no time to waste. Find the mansion, rescue Asuma and try to leave the area intact. Ah, never mind, go nuts!" grinned Tsunade.

The shinobis chosen for this mission all nodded and disappeared. As their commander said, there was no time to waste. Every second was precious right now.

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Naruto was racing across the country, his mind set on bringing Asuma back no matter what. He knew it was foolish and selfish of him to go out alone but he felt compelled to fix his mistake. His heart wouldn't forgive him if he let anything happen to Asuma. Since he came back he really felt connected with the Yuuhi family, Anko and Yugao included because she is family to Kurenai. He wanted to help Asuma on his journey to become a man since his father wasn't around. He knew what it is like to grow up without a father. When he was kid, he wanted nothing more to have a father or mother to tell him that they love him and that they support him. Naruto knew he could never replace Asuma and he didn't want to. But that didn't mean he didn't want to help Asuma Jr. become the greatest he could be.

Anko was Anko. She was a sister to Kurenai, one of the few she really trusted beside Yugao. He knew of her painful past and understood why she pushes people away. The pain of betrayal is something unimaginable. In all honesty, her crazy behavior isn't that bad once you get used to it. It just shows she cares for you in her own way. That doesn't mean she won't gut you if you get on her bad side because she will without blinking.

Yugao was the same. While she may not be bat crazy like Anko she too had a painful life. Losing a husband, the love of her life left her scarred. She found solace in her friends, they are the ones that kept her sane and not revengeful. She was on the verge of slipping over the point of no return but the people she calls family brought her back. Naruto can easily count her as one of his friends even after only knowing her for a short time.

Kurenai was a whole different story. He has no idea what to think or feel about her. He respects her as a kunoichi and a woman. She did a remarkable job raising Asuma by herself while juggling her shinobi life. But does he only respect her or is there something more there? Would it be wrong to feel more about her? Would he betray Asuma?

Naruto shook his head to try and rid his head of these thoughts. Now wasn't the time to ponder about that. He needed to have his mind clear for what is about to come.

He was heading towards a trap, that much was obvious. Kidnapping Asuma was all just to lure him to them. But there wasn't much he can do about it now. Sometimes the best way to defeat a trap is to spring it. He just hoped his decision won't come back to bite him in the ass.

If he paid more attention to his surroundings instead of his thoughts he would have noticed a group of eyes watching his movement.

As soon as he sped past them, a group of shinobi seemingly materialized out of nowhere.

A man with white hair spoke, "The trap is sprung. No one gets past this point."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""MANSION""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Naruto arrived at the mansion. He stopped at the edge of the clearing where the mansion stood. He was analyzing the mansion from a high tree from where he had a good view over the entire mansion. If it could even be called a mansion. It was more like a small fortress.

The mansion grounds were covered by protective walls with outposts on each corner that surveyed the forest around it. There were guards everywhere you looked, either patrolling or just staring out in the space, watching for any kind of movement. The guards didn't look the shinobi type but looks can be deceiving. He did notice a few shinobis that were directing orders or keeping order amongst the guards. He could spot shinobis from Iwa, Kumo and Kusa, all missing nins of course. There were probably more but so far he didn't spot them.

The mansion itself was huge. It was 3 stories high and stretched the limits of good taste. As expected from Shinji Nakamura. He only met the guy once but he struck him as the man who liked to show off his wealth and power to others.

On the left side of the grounds, away from the main facilities, stood a housing complex for the soldiers judging from its more barbaric design and from the guards littering around. A hallway connected it right to the main house, probably where the owner lives alongside his family or trusted confidants. Another hallway to the right led to a more beautiful scenery. A lush garden with a beautiful pond in the center of it. It looked serene, a total contrast to the rest of the atmosphere. Shinji didn't strike Naruto as the kind of man that would enjoy gardening so he figured that was his daughter's own little slice of heaven.

Naruto focused on the main house. Everywhere he looked there were either guards or shinobis, even on the roof and on the chimney for Christ sakes. Talk about paranoid.

Getting in there could prove to be a challenge but he had confidence that he could pull it off. Finding Asuma and getting out is a whole other story.

He could find Asuma easily using Sage Mode but he isn't exactly fond of being a human beacon for the shinobis inside. Increasing his chakra levels, sensors or not is bound to attract attention. He will have to take a more hands-on approach.

A plan forming in his mind, he dropped down to the forest floor. He took one last breath and steeled his nerves. This was it.

A moment later he disappeared underground.

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**The end! Next chapter is the stage for some action. Review please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Her Savior chapter 10! As I promised, this chapter came out a lot sooner than the last one****. The action starts this chapter and hopefully I did it right. Thanks for reviewing and sticking with me so far, appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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A small toad leaped through a crack in the wall and landed softly on the ground, behind some bushes. The toad croaked which earned the attention from a nearby guard who leaned down to inspect the toad, "Cute little thing aren't you?" smiled the guard while reaching out to stroke the toad.

A hand shot out of the toad's mouth and grabbed the man's face and dragged him inside of it. A second later Naruto crawled out of his companion and dusted himself off, "Probably didn't think it was cute anymore, huh." Smiled Naruto mischievously. The toad croaked in agreement and then disappeared back into its realm. He crouched low and created a clone which assumed the identity of the fallen guard in order to not raise suspicions of other guards. The clone took the position of the defeated guard and continued its watch.

Naruto stalked around the bushes and inspected his surroundings. There were 5 patrols with 4-man cell patrolling the grounds of the mansion. Their route is probably random so figuring out an opening won't be easy. There were spotlights at each tower that were illuminating the grounds. There were guards on the wall who stalked every corner of the grounds. Nothing misses their attention. It seems these guys aren't amateur after all. It seems Shinji paid good money.

Naruto inspected every inch of the compound with a keen eye. Every hole, every crack, every guard was memorized and soon he had a plan.

"**Tōton Jutsu! (Transparency Jutsu!)" **whispering the name of the technique, Naruto suddenly turned invisible. Despite being a super pervert, Naruto has got to give credit where it's due and Jiraiya definitely deserves credit for inventing this technique. What was at first meant for perving on women became Jiraiya's jutsu for infiltration and now also Naruto's.

Naruto looked at its hands and saw that they were transparent. He nodded to himself in satisfaction. Learning this Jutsu was a pain in the ass for him. For the technique to be fully effective one needs a good amount of control. For an average ninja that wouldn't be a problem but for a man with chakra on the level of a Tailed Beast, well let's just say it wasn't a walk in the park. He failed numerous infiltrations in the past because his technique wasn't perfect but after a dozen or so failed infiltrations and numerous wounds later he finally perfected it.

But the technique had its flaws. While he was invisible to the naked eye, if one were to be right next to him he would be spotted immediately because the light bends differently when it hits him and blows away his cover. Luckily for him, it is dark now which minimized the chances of being caught.

Naruto inspected the patrols and waited for the right moment. Seeing the nearest patrol turn away and walked away from his position he dashed forward with grace befitting his fame. He weaved through the patrols and stayed away from the spotlights. The patrols were unaware that they just failed miserably at their job.

Naruto hid behind a low wall inside the garden which he spotted before. He took a sneak look over the wall and saw that the patrol didn't notice him much to his relief.

His eyes widened a moment later when he heard rustling behind him and he turned around in a flash. Reacting on instinct Naruto embedded a kunai in an unsuspecting man's throat. Naruto got a closer look at the man who was gurgling blood. He saw that the man was in the process of zipping up his pants before Naruto shoved a kunai in his neck.

Naruto put a hand over the man's mouth to muffle his screamin and placed him on the ground and concealed him with some grass and twigs. Creating another clone which once more took the guard's identity, he finally let out the breath he was holding. That was a close call.

Now that he was closer, he examined the garden a bit more thoroughly. There were plants of every kind, flowers, trees, bushes and a pond in the middle of it all. He spotted a path that split into two different directions. One headed into a green house, the other towards the main house, through a walkway.

His Transparency Jutsu still on Naruto chose the path towards the mansion. Dashing from cover to cover Naruto hid behind a pillar right by the entrance. Two guards moved past him unaware that he was only a meter away from them. Naruto sneaked a glance around the pillar and saw a couple of guards patrolling the vicinity of the house. There were two guards in front of the entrance itself. Walking upwards on the pillar, he was now directly above the two guards guarding the entrance. He was about to make his move when the door opened and Naruto halted his movements.

A man came out of the house and spoke to the two guards, "Report!"

The two guards snapped to attention and saluted their commander, "Sir, no unusual activities detected."

The man nodded, "Good."

The man walked back inside the house and Naruto took this opportunity to sneak inside while the door was still open.

Naruto entered the house and was now above the commander who turned around and inspected the closing door with a scrutizining look. He shook his head a moment later and walked further into the mansion.

Breathing in relief, Naruto dropped down and hid behind a plant in the corner. He inspected the room around him. It was a massive hall. There were doors on either side of the hallway, each leading further into the mansion. There was an ornate stairway in the middle of the hall that led to the second floor.

Having successfully infiltrated the mansion, Naruto could now focus on finding Asuma and on the escape plan. He didn't really have an escape plan. It was more in the lines of just blowing everything to kingdom come while he and Asuma make a dash for it.

Naruto dashed from his cover towards the pillars that held the stairway in place. He slapped an explosive paper on each of them and then proceeded to search the first floor for Asuma. Dashing from room to room, Naruto inspected every possible place they could keep Asuma. While doing that he also searched for possible weakpoints in the infrastructure. Places where a simple explosive paper would do considerable damage to the structure.

Having thoroughly inspected the first floor, Naruto made his way to the second one where there was a lot more guard activity than in the first one.

Naruto hid behind a corner and listened to a conversation between two guards, "Man, that kid from Konoha still won't shut up. I just came from guarding the little fucker but all he does is scream 'to let him go or someone will come and kill us all'." Laughed the guard.

"Wishful thinking. Boss Shinji has everything covered even the arrival of someone like Uzumaki Naruto. Anyway, it's time for my shift of guarding the little bugger." The guard walked down the hall and disappeared around the corner.

Naruto dashed from his cover and chopped the unsuspecting guard in the neck and dragged him into the nearest empty room. A clone took its place for the time being.

Naruto made his way down the hall where Asuma was being kept. He looked around the corner and saw the guard from before guarding a door with another guard.

He could hear Asuma's screams from here, "Let me out! Let me out! Naruto will come for me and then you'll see!"

Naruto smiled proudly. For a 5 year old to not lose his spirit in a situation like this is nothing short of remarkable.

The guard that was there the longest finally snapped after countless hours of listening to the boy's irritating voice.

"OH yeah! Let's see him rescuing now when I beat the shit out of you!" yelled the guard while grabbing the door handle.

That's where his life ended. The other guard looked towards him and wondered why he became so silent. He saw the guard shaking and wondered why. A moment later the invisible hand inside the guard's chest became visible and the other guard panicked, "You!..." His life ended right there.

The two bodies slumped to the ground while Naruto looked at them with no remorse. They deserved none.

Naruto turned towards the door and opened it gently. He took a tentative step forward and looked inside the room. The room had one window, a bed and a bucket which probably functioned as a toilet.

The thing was, there was no Asuma. He took another step into the room when he was attacked from up above by none other than Asuma.

Asuma beat on him relentlessly, "Eat this!"

Naruto laughed to himself and then caught the little boy's wrist and turned around to face him.

He gave him a warm smile, "I certainly did eat it. Hey there!"

Asuma stopped and his breath hitched. He started tearing up when he saw who was in front of him. He crashed against Naruto's chest and cried uncontrollably.

Naruto chuckled and patted him on the back, " Miss me?"

More sobs were his answer. After a minute or so Asuma calmed down, "Are you okay?" asked Naruto

Asuma nodded and smiled afterwards, "Yeah, those guys had nothing on me."

Naruto chuckled, "That they didn't. I'm proud of you, you know. Now, leave everything else to me. It's time for us to leave this place."

Asuma nodded and then jumped on Naruto's awaiting back, " I want you to close your eyes, okay Asuma?" Asuma nodded. He didn't want him to see the two dead guards in front of the room. It was bad enough he was kidnapped but seeing death at such an early age would traumatize the kid.

The two walked outside the room and Naruto was about to initiate his escape plan when he heard a shrilling scream from further down the hall. The person was a woman and she sounded like she was in pain.

Naruto cursed his bloody heart, "Asuma, we are going to be making a little detour. Remember, eyes closed the whole time, okay?"

Asuma nodded and strengthened his grip on Naruto. Naruto ran down the hall and stopped at the next corner. He inspected the hallway and found nothing. He could hear the screams coming from one of the rooms down the hall.

Seeing no one, Naruto dashed towards the room where the screams were coming from. He created a clone and handed Asuma to him for the time being, "I'll be right back Asuma. Eyes closed."

Naruto slowly opened the door. Inside he saw a man whipping a woman, hard. The man ignored the woman's screams of plea, "You disgraced your father! You had one job to do and you failed!"

The man was about to whip the woman once more until a hand shout out of his stomach and sprayed blood all over the place, "No, you are a disgrace to humanity." Spoke Naruto coldly.

The man wheezed his last breath and slumped to the ground.

The woman cried in the corner and wondered if death took her already.

Naruto slowly walked towards her and gently put a hand on the woman's shoulder who flinched at the contact, "It's okay. You are safe now. He can't hurt you anymore." He pulled out a kunai and cut through the chains holding her in place.

Naruto caught the woman before she could fall to the ground. He slowly turned her around where his eyes widened, "Ami?"

Ami, the daughter of Shinji Nakamaru, looked up at her savior weakly, "Naruto?"

Naruto smiled caringly while on the inside he was seething. Having your own daughter wiped! What kind of a father does that?!

"Yes, it's me. You are safe now. Can you walk?" asked Naruto.

Ami nodded while letting out a few tears of joy. She grabbed Naruto's extended hand and slowly stood up.

Naruto took of his jacket and wrapped it around her, for which she was thankful.

Ami took a step and almost stumbled but Naruto was quick to catch her. She thanked him and leaned on him for support. They walked outside where Naruto's clone was waiting and Asuma who was a good boy and had his eyes closed.

Naruto motioned to the clone to follow him down the hall, away from the dead bodies where he could hatch a new plan. They entered an empty room which was currently being renovated.

"Alright Asuma, you can open your eyes now." Asuma did and he almost had a heart attack when he saw two Narutos.

Before he could start drooling Naruto spoke, "It's one of my techniques Asuma. Now, I need you to pay attention. Can you do that?" Asuma nodded fervently and listened carefully.

Naruto smiled, "Good. Asuma, this is Ami. She will be joining us."

Ami tried to put up the biggest smile she could despite the burning pain in her back, "Hello there Asuma. Pleasure to meet you."

Asuma smiled back, "You too Ami. Uhm, are you okay?" asked Asuma in concern.

She waved him off with a gentle smile, "I'm fine. Just a bit tired."

Naruto interrupted at this point, "We can talk more later. For now, I need you to listen carefully. I wasn't planning on escaping with two people so I'll have to modify my plan a bit."

Seeing that he has their full attention he continued, " Alright, this is how it's gonna go. I'll create a distraction and you two while riding my clones will slip away unnoticed. What I want from you two is to be as silent as possible. No screaming, no talking, no whispering. Just keep your head straight and don't look back. Got it?"

"What about you?" asked Ami in concern.

"I'll be fine. I've been in far worse situations than this. Trust me." Responded Naruto confidently.

He then turned to Asuma who was about to cry again. He kneeled down and enveloped him in a hug "Hey, hey. It's going to be okay. You'll be home with your Mommy in no time. I promise."

Asuma sobbed, "What about you? Will you be right behind me?"

Naruto smiled, "Of course. I'll be there in a flash. Hey, you know what? If you be a good boy for me, I'll teach you a cool technique afterwards. How does that sound, huh?"

Asuma nodded through his sobbing and Naruto ruffled his hair, "That's my boy. Ready?"

Asuma cleaned his eyes and nodded with a serious look.

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The door to the mansion opened and the two guards guarding it turned around only to die a moment later. Naruto strolled outside, like he didn't give a damn. He walked ahead until he deemed he was at a good distance. He started pulsating his chakra which earned him the attention of the shinobis currently inhabiting the mansion grounds. It also served as a beacon to his clones that the plan is starting.

"SHINJI NAKAMURA! YOU WANT ME THEN COME AND GET ME!" yelled Naruto.

He smirked when he saw the entire army of guards and shinobi swarming his position. 'Perfect.'

Naruto started channeling wind chakra throughout his body which the approaching guards didn't notice. What started as a subtle wind then turned into a raging typhoon. Naruto levitated off the ground and started spinning which in turn created a powerful suction. The unsuspecting guards never stood a chance. They were picked up and sucked into the powerful typhoon. Their bodies were cut into pieces. Those who were still far away from the typhoon were safe, at least that's what they thought. The previously immobile technique now became mobile and it was heading straight towards them. They tried to escape but the power of the suction was too great for them. Trees, rocks, parts of the protective wall, everything was pulled inside of Naruto's typhoon. The typhoon raged for a few more moments until Naruto stopped spinning and landed gracefully on the ground.

He saw that most of the guards were dead. He saw a few shinobis loitering around, those that were lucky and smart enough to stay away from him.

He saw them glaring at him but he couldn't care less. He smirked, " Come and get me boys."

'Too easy' thought Naruto when he saw the remaining shinobi attack like mindless beasts. He muttered 'Kai' and the mansion behind him exploded in a shower of debris and fire. The attacking shinobis had no time to process this new development, instead they continued with their assault.

He formed his favorite seal and said, "**Kage Bunshin No Jutsu."** 30 Narutos appeared in the clearing and engaged the Shinobis in battle while the real one slipped away unnoticed.

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"Miss me?" laughed Naruto and was then assaulted by Asuma who buried his head in his neck. Naruto patted him on the head and put him down on solid ground, "You did good Asuma, both of you did good. Now, who's ready to go home?"

Two tiny hands shot up and Ami and Naruto shared a laugh. That is until Naruto's expression turned serious. The trio could her clapping behind them. Naruto turned around and saw a familiar face, "You…."

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The contingent from Konoha which dubbed themselves as 'The Killers of Baby-Kidnappers' courtesy from Anko was racing towards their destination. Kakashi was upfront acting as the leader of the whole party. His experience to keep calm in these sorts of situations made him the best choice for the leader. Anko is too unstable, even more than usual, to lead this mission. But that was alright with her. As long as she gets to kill the people that kidnapped her cute little nephew then she doesn't mind.

Kiba who was right behind Kakashi, sniffed the air around him. His eyes widened and immediately screamed out, "Stop!" The party responded like a well oiled machine.

They stopped right before the path that leads to the forest. They just passed the point where the river splits into two and they were supposed to turn east.

"What is it Kiba?" asked Kakashi who was scanning the forest in front of him.

Kiba once more sniffed the air just to be sure and then turned towards Hinata, "Hinata, check the forest in front of us."

Hinata nodded and activated her Bloodline. Her eyes widened once her sight reached the edge of the forest, "There are 8 people waiting to ambush us as soon as we enter the forest. They are hiding behind some sort of barrier."

"Which direction?" asked Kakashi. Hinata pointed a little bit to the left of him and Kakashi pulled out a kunai and send it flying in that direction.

There wasn't that resounding clang when someone blocks a kunai or shuffling of feet indicating that they dodged instead there was nothing. He would have dismissed this as a false alarm but he didn't survive in this world as long as he did if he did that.

He heard a voice, "Impressive. We should have figured Konoha would send a Hyuuga."

The party tensed and got into a defensive formation.

From the forest appeared 8 figures. A man in the front of the group was twirling a Kunai in his hands, the one thrown by Kakashi earlier. Before anything really could be said the male figure in the back of the group went through some handsigns, **"Doton: Doryuusou no Jutsu!"** Slamming his hands on the ground, the man manipulated the ground below him. Konoha ninjas aware of what was going to happen scattered. Moments later, spears made of rock erupted from the ground where the Konoha ninjas previously stood. As soon as their opponents scattered away from the deadly technique, the group of ninjas each appeared in front of their chosen targets, preventing Konoha to regroup and work out a team strategy for which they are so famous for.

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Kakashi was facing a man with hair similar to his own. They were white with black highlights, an unusual color to say the least. He wore a sleeveless red jacket with its zipper open in the front showing off his lean figure to the world. He had a scar going down his chest area right down to the belly button, an indicator he has seen his share of battles. He wore black cargo pants and black ninja sandals.

Ignoring him, Kakashi scanned his surroundings and saw that his comrades were being assaulted by their opponents and led away from his position. He thought of going to help but he had a feeling his opponent wasn't a slouch.

Having his entire attention once more, the white-haired man spoke, "What an honor to be able to face the famous Copy Ninja in battle. You have no idea how long I've dreamt of this." The disturbing looking grin on the man's face further showed his desire to fight Kakashi.

Kakashi responded in his usual lazy voice, "I'm not sure if I should be flattered or concerned. You are not a stalker are you?"

The smirk remained on the man's face despite the jab from Kakashi, " You don't have to worry about me being a stalker, you should worry about yourself right now. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Masaru Ochi."

A slight widening of Kakashi's eyes meant that he recognized the name.

"An A-rank missing-nin from Iwa. You defected because you killed your entire squad during a mission for unknown reasons. " Said Kakashi, memorizing the man from the Bingo book.

"Oh, I see you know who I am. I'm flattered but enough chit-chat. I waited years to kill you not to talk to you." The man sprung into action while Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan, wanting to end this as quickly as possible.

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Anko was currently facing a bulky man with short brown hair. She recognized him as the man that separated them with his Earth techniques which means he has an Earth element in his arsenal. He was wearing blue cargo pants and white sandals. He left his torso exposed which showed off his formidable figure. Anko wasn't impressed.

The man grinned devilishly and licked his lips, "My name is Yuudai and you must be…." He never got to finish his sentence. A large snake coiled around his body from under the ground and bite down on his leg.

Anko spoke, "I don't give a damn. You are in the way." The man now known as Yuudai fell to the ground unmoving. Anko started walking away until her eyes widened and jumped out of the way of a spear made of rock.

She turned around and saw the man grinning like a fool towards her, "Did you really think it will be that easy? My body is as hard as the earth you are standing on. A simple bite from your precious snakes won't do a thing to me, Anko-hime."

Anko growled silently to herself. She got careless. The anger clouded her judgment and she almost lost her life because of it.

She took a deep breath and then gave Yuudai a wicked grin of her own, "Let's play!"

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"Troublesome. Why do we have to fight women all the time?" muttered Shikamaru while facing down three women who looked exactly the same, triplets it seems.

"Stop complaining and get that mind of yours to work. We have a nephew to rescue." Yelled Ino at him.

"Oh my, look what we've got here. The Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Known for having the best teamwork in the world. How splendid." Spoke the women in the center while being flanked by her two sisters.

Black hair, green eyes, puffy lips, an innocent look. Some of the features the triplets shared.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Naomi." Said the one in the center.

"Atsuko." Said the left one.

"Haruka." Said the right one.

"And we are your downfall." Spoke the triplets in unison.

"Troublesome."

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"Who the hell are you?" growled Kiba dangerously while his opponent grinned and showing off his elongated canines, similar to Kiba's.

"Glad you asked. My name is Daisuke and you must be from the Inuzuka clan judging from your partner. Yep, I chose well in you. You will prove great to test my abilities." Grinned Daisuke ferally.

Akamaru growled at the man but Kiba rested a hand on his trusted partner's furry head which calmed him down.

" I do not care about your wishes or desires. You are in the way of me and my friends. I don't have any time to waste with you. SO, bring it!"

"Gladly." Grinned Daisuke.

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**"Hakke Kūshō!"** yelled Hinata while releasing a blast of chakra to the left of her and was aiming at… nothing. That is until someone spoke, "Amazing. You truly can see me with those eyes of yours, little missy."

A man appeared out of nowhere. He was young, in his mid-twenties with brown hair done in a mohawk. His eyes were green and tattoo of a dragon trailed down his left eye. He was of lean figure. His body didn't scream power instead it smelled of speed and agility.

Hinata stared at him with her cold Byakugan eyes, a far cry of how she usually looks, "Who are you?"

The man chuckled, "I wish I knew. I have no name. I am a nobody."

Hinata's features softened and she deactivated her all-seeing eyes, "What do you mean?

"I was left in the woods when I was but a child. It seems I was undesired by my parents. I survived and thrived in the woods until one day my savior came and showed me my potential. I owe him my life and he has my loyalty until I die."

"I do not wish to fight you. I only want Asuma back. We do not have to fight." Said Hinata truthfully.

The man shook his head, "I'm sorry. I can't do that. If I let you go I would betray my master and that is something I have no intention of doing."

Hinata sighed and then reactivated her Byakugan, "I am sorry."

"So am I."

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"Is that the best you can do? Come on, I'm not even trying." Yelled a man with dirty blonde hair while dodging insects from his opponent.

Shino remained unfazed and stared at him with an impassive look. He ordered his insects to fall back.

The man stopped with his acrobatics and grinned madly, " If that is all you can do, sending insects to attack, then this fight is over. I will enjoy seeing you burn in the deepest fires of hell."

"I think it's cordial to at least introduce ourselves before we start making threats." Said Shino calmly, his hands in his pockets.

The man scoffed, "Like telling you my name matters. But as you wish, you are witnessing Hotaru in all of his fiery glory." Grinned Hotaru in the end.

"Aburame Shino. And this fight is all but over." Stated Shino.

Hotaru raised his eyebrow and then felt something crawling on his skin. He raised his hand in front of his face and saw numerous bugs biting down on his arm and he could feel his chakra leaving his body.

The confused look turned into a murderous grin and he yelled, "DO you really think that will work?! WRONG!"

Hotaru's skin turned fiery red and the insects caught on fire. Shino raised an eyebrow at the strange development while Daisuke grinned like a madman on crack, " Whatever touches my skin gets burned. Your insects are no match for me."

"We shall see." Said Shino who took out his hands from his pockets and got into his fighting stance.

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"Asuma!" Kurenai shout up in her bed after experiencing a bad dream which she realized was actually reality when she saw that she really was in the hospital.

Shizune was by her side immediately and tried to calm her down, "It's okay Kurenai. You are safe."

Kurenai turned towards Shizune and grabbed her by her shoulder and shook her frantically, "Where is Asuma? Where is my son?" She was on the verge of tears.

Shizune looked at her sadly and Kurenai broke into tears, knowing full well what happened. Shizune put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure he's okay. Naruto will make sure of it, I know it." Smiled Shizune gently.

Kurenai looked at her with puffy eyes, "Naruto?" inquired Kurenai.

Shizune nodded, "Yes, as soon as he saw to your safety he set out to find your son. He felt it was his obligation to try and correct his mistakes. I think he blames himself for Asuma's kidnapping. Anko, Kakashi, Team 10 and your team followed after him."

Kurenai shook her head, "It's a trap. This is all a trap to capture Naruto. The Ninjas that attacked me were to capture either me or Asuma to lure Naruto to them. They've somehow been spying on us and saw that we spent a lot of time together and thought we were the perfect bait."

Shizune adopted a fearful look for her adoptive brother but a voice behind her calmed her down, "He knows that." Said the voice of Tsunade who just entered the room.

All eyes were on her, " Naruto knew full well he was walking into a trap but he had no other choice. You know full well how he is when it comes to his friends and precious people. Trap or not he couldn't let this slide. Besides, he's a grown man, he can take care of himself." Smiled Tsunade.

"But what about…" Kurenai was caught off when Tsunade spoke sternly, "But nothing. Do you believe in Naruto?" asked Tsunade. Kurenai nodded. "Then everything will turn out fine. Your son is in capable hands."

Kurenai looked down, "I know that, it's just… What if he gets hurt while protecting Asuma? I could never forgive myself if that happened."

"Him getting hurt?" scoffed Tsunade. "Nothing can hurt that little gaki. If Madara and 7 Bijuus couldn't kill him then nothing can. I'm starting to think he's indestructible." Laughed Tsunade.

"I hope you are right, I really do..." muttered Kurenai under her breath.

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**The stage is set for some action and I hope I don't disappoint. It will be my first time writing multiple fights at the same time so we'll see how that turns up. Wish me luck. As always, please leave a little review, I would appreciate it. :D**

**See ya!**


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